Going Forward
by Cosmic Sky
Summary: You can meet the strangest of people on the battlefield, and off the battlefield make the strangest of bonds. Ritsuka and Jeanne Alter are proof enough of that, and so are Kadoc and Anastasia. It's funny how enemies so different on the outside can be so alike on the inside. In the the aftermath of a battle, can those similarities be expanded on? Sequel to Dragon's Fire (sorta).
1. Chapter 1-Fire and Ice

**To give a little background this story was partially inspired by my unapologetic shipping of Kadoc and Anastasia and coming across some fan art depicting the final fight in LB One, specifically one involving Ritsuka facing off against Kadoc, and one featuring Jalter against Anastasia. My writing finger started to twitch and there you have it. This story sort-sequels Dragon's Fire so Jalter will be addressed as "Joan" by Ritsuka.**

 **I do not own anything.**

* * *

 _ **Fire and Ice**_

A part of her questioned what she was doing here, in this frozen wasteland so far from her homeland. Despite only being a twisted reflection, she carried memories, feelings from the childhood of the girl known as Jeanne d'Arc. She'd heard stories of Russia, of the far off land of snow and mountains. It was a cold place, figuratively and literally. Though she never wished to visit the country a part of her wondered what it would be like. Was the sky blue? Was the grass really covered by pure white snow year-round? What were the people like? Had they become strong and hard due to the long winters they were forced to endure? What of the farmers? Were they no different than her own parents, meager people trying to scrap out an existence while nobles and royals fought in courtrooms and on battlefields, dragging the helpless masses into the fire with them? So many questions she doubted she would ever have answered in her lifetime, yet she still asked them simply because as a human being that was in her nature.

Jeanne Alter, Joan d'Arc, Avenger, Dragon Witch of France, Servant of Ritsuka Fujimaru, last Master of Humanity. Lover of Ritsuka Fujimaru, certified fool and all around nice guy to the point she wanted to tear his face off.

Now that was _former_ Servant, and Ritsuka was no longer the last Master of humanity. There were now seven more, and they'd just finished defeating one of them.

After the Seven Singularities threatening to destroy humanity and all it had built, the Sub-Singularities which proved to be just as mind-bending, a part of Joan thought they had nothing left to fear. She wasn't quite wrong, but to say the threat possessed by these seven supposedly resurrected Masters, "Crypters", as Da Vinci had called them, they were…challenging.

The battle had been exactly like all their previous fights-hair raising and growing crazier and crazier by the second until it all finally came to an end that left them all feeling as if their hearts were about to burst from their chests. Joan had seen many things during her time as one of Ritsuka's Servants, things that defied human comprehension. What they'd seen in this Lost Belt, in this land of eternal winter ruled by men turned beasts…she wanted to laugh, laugh at the sheer absurdity that had consumed their lives. On the positive side, Joan definitely couldn't say she was bored: running from black-coated secret police, fighting off madden beasts who belonged in some whacked out zoo, including an _enormous_ mammoth (she thought Darius' undead elephant was bad), covering her boyfriend from the air as he pseudo-piloted a giant golem to battle said mammoth, and finally, their first battle with another Master-Servant pair.

It had all been exciting, like a shot of pure adrenaline into her reincarnated flesh and blood body. Joan knew it had been the same for Ritsuka, even if he didn't want to admit. Even now, with the battle over she still felt her heart pounding in her chest. It was a pleasant feeling, something that told her beyond the shadow of a doubt, she was alive.

Unfortunately, so too was their opponent.

The little bastard was lying in the snow out cold, his Servant long-since gone as she'd taken the bullet for him. Literally. Casting a short glare at Billy she walked upwards to where Ritsuka and Mash were kneeling in front of their defeated enemy.

"So…you keeping him, or not?"

He looked like hell, which was completely normal after they survived a major fight. Some would have found it miraculous how Ritsuka managed to throw himself into so many life or death situations, and still come out alive and ready to do so again if it meant saving the world. The fire in his eyes never dulled, and Joan believed it never would, not even if his heart were run through. Granted, as long as she was around she wasn't about to let that happen. Looking into his clear blue eyes she saw his thoughts as clear as day. Sighing she planted her flag in the snow and groaned. "You realize we're operating out of a damn rust bucket, right? It's gonna be cramped as hell!"

"We can make room." He smiled. Mash looked across at him beaming, then at her.

"Jeez, you're such an idiot." Joan groaned running a hand through her pale white hair. It was a habit she'd gotten into ever since she was first summoned. Ritsuka stood up facing her, that soft smile she'd grown so used to plastered all over his sweat and snow-covered face. Without a word their hands contacted, warmth immediately passing between them. It may have been her imagination, but she was sure the snow was beginning to lighten up.

The centuries long winter that had plagued Russia had begun to come to an end, and when it ended the country would disappear along with all its inhabitants.

Joan d'Arc had seen a Russia locked in eternal winter, ruled over by a malformed madman who'd become a monster, who'd turned his people into damned furries so they could survive. She'd fought alongside her boyfriend and allies to free that land. She'd gone head to head with the last princess of Russia, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, in a battle of fire and ice, reincarnated Servant versus Servant, and she'd come out on top.

Yes, it wasn't exactly what the wide-eyed farm girl from France had envisioned, but in a way, her wish had been granted. She'd seen the great northern land of Russia, and proudly planted her flag in the snow claiming victory.

* * *

"Okay, let me hear it, I goofed up, I should have had let you all kill him. I can take it."

"I'd complain, but I feel like I'd be wasting my breath. Besides, he stabs you in the back I roast him alive, so it's not like anything changes." The former Servant declared turning around and allowing herself to fall into her lover's waiting arms.

Despite Da Vinci telling them approximately three days had passed since they cleared the First Lost Belt it still felt like the final battle had been less than an hour ago. Ritsuka, Joan, and Mash had all been in something of a daze since returning from Russia, almost to the point they all felt like they were walking on thin air. Maybe it was the fact they'd defeated the ones responsible for destroying Chaldea and gained some measure of revenge, or perhaps it was the realization now that they were committed, they had to see this next battle through to the end. One Lost Belt down, six more left, each of them no doubt forecasted to be just as dangerous as the Singularities, if not more so. In time they'd head out to confront the next Lost Belt in what would be another fight for the history books, but first they'd rest and recover. And figure out exactly what to do with their prisoner.

Kadoc Zemlupus, one of the members of A-Team, the original seven Masters who were supposed to be humanity saviors, was lying in the infirmary seemingly dead to the world. Joan didn't really know what she wanted to feel for the white-haired man. On one hand, him and his associates had destroyed Chaldea, sure the mountain base was in built in the middle of a frozen wasteland, but it had its charms. Dare Joan say it, she'd gotten used to it. Seeing the entire place go up in flames…she didn't blame Mash for breaking down at the thought of leaving it, it had _almost_ become her home too.

But the truth was, her home was sitting right beside her, waiting to get scolded for acting on his feelings instead of using whatever pea-sized object passed for his brain. "What the hell do you want me to say, Ritsuka, that we would have been better off letting Billy put a bullet in the bastard's heart? Least then he and his princess bride would be together." Clearly she'd said something because his expression did a complete one-eighty. His eyebrows rose in the same manner they always did when he had an idea. Having practically glued herself to him since the night they got together she'd come to recognize his facial expressions pretty well. "Master, I know you're trying to be optimistic, but that's a long shot."

"I know it's a long shot, but…it worked for us." Once upon a time he was actually scared of smiling at her, well, that was when she was still an enemy hellbent on burning all of France to ashes. Now, aside from Mash she was the person he trusted to confine his feelings in, sort of came with being in a relationship. "I guess…I just see a lot of myself in him. Hey, don't look at me like that, I'm serious." Holding up his right hand to show her the three scarlet Command Seals emblazed on his skin. "I never really asked for this either, but I chose to go forward."

Silently the Avenger stared at her Japanese lover with nary an expression visible on her face. Her supernatural golden eyes softened for a second before she allowed herself to fall onto Ritsuka's side; her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Angling his body so she was lying against his chest Ritsuka let his hands roam over her body. "You had a reason to keep going, he doesn't. Not anymore."

"Do you think it's stupid of me to try to change that?" He asked genuinely curious on what her answer would be.

Pushing herself upwards so she was straddling him Joan flashed the black-haired teen a rare, non-malicious smile. "Well, I would say to give up on a lost cause, an enemy, but that would make me a hypocrite. I tried to kill you and everyone else with an army of dragons, yet…you still took me in…you even found it in yourself to…love me." Her fingers curled against his chest while a soft blush painted her pale cheeks. Joan knew if he could have Ritsuka would have reached up and planted a kiss on her. "I…don't really have the right to tell you not to reach out to people…because I was one of those people you shouldn't have reached out to, but you did anyway. Besides…maybe it's like you said, maybe this guy's not so bad after all. I mean, when we were fighting he didn't strike me as your typical doomsday bringing asshole, just a lazy one."

"Was it the bags that gave it away?" Ritsuka chuckled.

"Something like that. Be honest with me, is it that…or because you want this place to be as noisy as Chaldea?"

It was the elephant in the room no one in their little group had wanted to address. When Chaldea went up in smoke, literally, they all felt like they'd lost a piece of themselves, a piece they were never going to get back. Sure, Da Vinci and Holmes had developed ways for them to keep on fighting, and Goldolf, the fat idiot, had actually prove himself to be useful. If it wasn't for them they wouldn't have this stupid pseudo-mansion in the middle of nowhere. At least there were enough rooms for everyone to have enough space to themselves; Joan was grateful for that, and the thickness of the walls. That said, the place was as empty as a grave, like Ritsuka and Mash a part of her missed the lively chatter of dozens of Heroic Spirits going about their business all parts of the day. It was going to take time before they could get that back. The halls had been staffed with humanity's best and worst from the far corners of history, herself included. Who was she to shoot down the chance of that happening again, with the added voices of enemies who'd once tried to kill them?

"You…Ritsuka, there's a chance it…the Anastasia you summon, it's going to be different from the one Kadoc knew. It's…it's a longshot." The Frenchwoman finally said tracing circles over his chest. "You wanted to see me again, I think…I think that's why I…somewhere I heard your voice and came running. Heh, me, the Dragon Witch, imagine that."

"On the bright side no one but us will ever know." He laughed before fixing her with an impish smile. "Well, until we have kids and we tell them how mom and dad got together, just like a fairy tale."

An angry knot on her head. Reaching for her boyfriend's cheeks Joan forced a dark smile Ritsuka had long grown used to seeing. "Yeah, the fairy tale that goes with the witch chasing the fool all over the place trying to burn him alive, only for the witch to do the unthinkable-fall in love with the fool and help him save the world. Sure, just the story I want our kids to grow up and tell theirs, I gotta a reputation ya' know." Once she'd had her fun she framed her boyfriend's face and fixed him with a much calmer stare. "Even after everything we've been through, everything those bastards took from us, you're still trying to be the hero, aren't you?"

"Pretty stupid of me, huh?" He laughed.

Joan smiled before reaching down and planting her lips against those of her Master-turned-lover. Ritsuka's arms immediately looped around her waist tightening their embrace. The cackling of the fire just a few feet away from them was soothing in its own way; they'd gotten used to sound of wood cackling since being given this new room. For the two of them, it was comforting, especially when they were able to curl up together against the fire, though Joan's body could produce all the warmth of a heart, sitting side by side before a fireplace was simply a romantic fantasy her boyfriend happily let her indulge in.

Finally pulling away Joan buried her head in the crux of Ritsuka's neck. "Just don't get _too_ chummy with that little ice princess, ya hear? Remember what I said about harems?"

Despite the forced smile he was putting on, and the promise of violence radiating from the white-haired Avenger, Ritsuka felt perfectly at ease. It went without saying that Joan "Jalter" d'Arc did not like being ignored or playing second-fiddle to anyone, and that was very much true when it came to romance. The night they'd confessed their feelings for each other Joan had made it clear she wouldn't stand for any fooling around with her heart or feelings, Ritsuka had no intentions of doing such a thing. Following that night Joan became just a tad bit testier with the rest of the female Servants at Chaldea, Mash excluded. To a degree, Ritsuka found it a bit cute and tolerable since the flame-wielding Servant never quite took her possessiveness overboard. He supposed as they began building back up their forces he should brace himself for more of the same, though this time he supposed this time he had an adequate way of putting Joan's fears to rest.

"Now why on earth would I ever consider someone else when I have the hottest, strongest, witch to ever grace the halls of Chaldea? I may be an idiot, but even I'm not that stupid, besides," Gently he brushed his lips against the top of her head, just lightly brushing up against her ahoge. "No matter what happens, I'll always be _your_ idiot."

If anyone had told Jeanne Alter that she'd be lying beside a fireplace in the arms of a foolishly idealistic and kind-hearted boy, she'd have burned them alive. If they told her she'd love that boy more than the whole of humanity, she'd burned them. If they told her that boy would use one of the Holy Grails they'd recovered to reincarnate her so she could live a full life, she'd burn them. If they told her whenever said boy made a promise, no matter how crazy or ludicrous it seemed, she'd believe him, she'd throw them into the jaws of her dragons and laugh as they were torn apart and digested.

The fact that all of those things had happened had led Joan to one conclusion-the world may have been cruel and unfair, it may not have made a lick of senses when looked at from the viewpoint of the average person, but miracles could happen.

The tight embrace she shared with her former Master, her lover, the man she'd willingly give up her life for, was more than enough proof of that. If a such a miracle could be bestowed upon her, then maybe, just maybe there was hope for others as well, if only a little.

* * *

All things considered, things could have gone worse. It wasn't like any of them were expecting things to be sunshine and rainbows when Ritsuka summoned Anastasia and Kadoc woke up. Even Joan herself hadn't grown that optimistic. The former's summoning had gone off without a hitch, much to Da Vinci and Mash's mutual joy. Once again it seemed they were going to be fighting alongside people who at one point tried to kill them in various ways; Joan could hardly contain her excitement over the endless teasing and cracks she'd be able to get in.

Anastasia looked the exact same as she did when they fought her and Kadoc-clothed in those insufferable royal robes, her hair still as white as the snow and ice she wielded in battle, and that stupid doll held tightly in her arms. The second she fully materialized she felt the temperature in the room beginning to drop to near arctic temperatures; with barely an effort on her part Joan countered that by radiating a silent and invisible heat wave.

The Russian princess caught onto her little tricky in seconds resulting in their eyes locking onto each other. "So, we meet again, Snow Queen? Surprised to see me?" Joan challenged giving Anastasia her usual venomous smile.

In the span of less than a second the battle between fire and ice ended with the latter's sudden surrender. The Russian girl's icy blue eyes went from Joan to Ritsuka, who'd long since grown used to these tension-filled standoffs. "I am the Servant Anastasia, I came in response to your summoning request." Her voice was flat, as dead and echoless, a far cry from the cold dismissiveness it carried when they confronted them on the battlefield. "This is Viy," She said holding up that stupid doll. "Please, take care of us."

Joan hated being ignored, and she hated it when other Servants got too close to her boyfriend. Still, she'd learned how to reign in a little of her temper. For that reason over the next two days she was able to keep a cool hand as Anastasia got used to being a part of their little crackpot team. And by that, Joan meant she got used to the concept that none of them were her Servants or "agents" as she called them. Well, Ritsuka played along with the agent part, he always did that sort of thing to foster better relationships with his Servants; God knew it pissed Joan off to see him lower himself, but in the long run it was going to be worthy if it got Anastasia's loyalty.

In the medical ward Kadoc had shown signs of waking up. According to the doctors, it wouldn't be long before he was wide awake. Joan knew when he did awake from his slumber the world would very much look like a nightmare to him. Hell, for all they knew they'd have to put the bastard on suicide watch.

Since getting that report Ritsuka and Mash had tried coaxing Anastasia to go visit him. It was pointless as Joan took one look at the Russian Princess and could tell she most certainly wasn't the same one they'd fought. The Anastasia they'd done battle with, there was a certain cold firmness in her eyes, a hostility that Joan recognized as being similar to her, and respected. That trait was missing from the one Ritsuka had summoned in the summoning chamber Holmes and Da Vinci had set up, what she saw was more of a scared guard, a protective shell thrown up by a person who held no desire to reach out to them. Joan wanted to laugh, if Anastasia didn't reach out to her dear new Master what hope was there for her to form a bond with the sad sap of a human being lying in bed one floor down?

Even then, Ritsuka tried, all the while steadily building up his own bond of trust with Anastasia. Joan and Mash watched closely, maybe not always in plain sight, but close enough that they could hear the words being said and feelings being transmitted. Like with many before her, Anastasia was slowly opening herself up to Ritsuka.

"Senpai really is amazing like that, isn't he?" The Shielder-class Servant once spoke to her as they waited outside the door while Ritsuka served tea to their newest comrade.

"If by amazing you mean stupid, yeah, he's the most talented person I know." Joan tried to frame it as an insult, but even then it came out wrong as evident by Mash's uncontrollable giggling. The Avenger wasn't sure how or when, but the Demi-Servant had become the second closest person she could confine in, almost like a little sister. "If he keeps making her tea than I think he's going to start forgetting who's the Master and who's the Servant."

"Well, it kind of cutes both ways, Senpai has to form this relationship with her, otherwise she won't be able to fight." The silver-haired girl mused looking downwards. Joan never let the image of Mash tearful reaction to watching Chaldea burn. Somewhere, deep down, a part of her had wanted to grab the girl and hold her. She'd lost her home and family, Joan had lost her family, her sisters…her fellow Avengers. "Do you think Senpai will be able to convince Anastasia to…at least talk to Kadoc? If only a little?"

Briefly the two girls' let their eyes meet. Joan always hated that innocent yet determined the shield-bearer always gave a person when was wanted a question answered. With a sigh she started, "Damned if I know! I'm not a psychic! Gah, at this point I think it'd be easier if he didn't summon her at all. Besides, she and her boy-toy burned Chaldea to the ground, we shouldn't be trying to help them get back together, don't you think?"

It was a low blow that in all respect she shouldn't have thrown, but Mash wasn't the weak-willed point she believed her to be. Far from it actually. "To be honest…a part of me does want to hate them, but deep down I…I just can't." She began thoughtfully. Laying her hands out on the floor and stretching her legs out the look in her eyes became distant. "When I looked at them, the way Anastasia stood side by side with him, and the way she protected him from stray attacks…I thought of myself. I felt…like I was looking at a mirror. No matter what happened, she was Kadoc's shield against any and everything." Turning to Joan she gave the older girl that same annoying smile, the kind that pulled at her supposedly nonexistent heartstrings. "She also reminded me of you too, Jalter-san. In one look I could tell, Anastasia really loved Kadoc, enough she was willing to die and kill for him."

Joan felt like she was blushing, she could feel it. Quickly looking away she half-hoped the door would swing open and the ice princess herself would walk out only to find the two of them there. Sure, it would have been embarrassing, but less so than having her defenses peeled back by yet _another_ goody-too-shoes. Alas, Joan fought too many of these battles, and lost just about every one of them. Sighing she threw a sideways glare at the still-smiling Mash, "You're almost as annoying as him, ya' know that? What, is he your teaching or something?"

"Well, he is my Senpai, does that count?"

She could almost feel the likes of Dantes, Moriarty and Saber Alter laughing in her ear. _As a something question, get a stupid answer._

"I'm going to go do some target practice. Don't follow me." She groaned getting up and walking away, her melt dress clanging behind her while her younger comrade continued giggling to herself. Joan wasn't sure when she went from being the feared Dragon Witch of France…to whatever the hell she was now.

Joan made it five steps down the hallway before she heard the door swing open. Immediately she stopped, every muscle in her body freezing. She didn't need to turn around to know Anastasia was staring at her, and she wouldn't turn around and give her the satisfaction of watching her squirm. Instead, she straightened up and flooded the hallway with a furnace-like heat. Anastasia responded with an equally chilly blast of air. All around her Joan heard the hallway crack and sizzle under the elemental duel taking places between the two women.

"I guess you've got some bite in you after all snow princess." Joan shot at her elemental opposite without turning around.

Anastasia's voice was clipped and cold, exactly as Joan remembered it during their battle. "And it seems you might live up to your…reputation…Witch of Orléans."

Joan waited until the princess' footsteps had disappeared down the hallway before turning around. The walls had indeed suffered some damage from the thermal clash that she and Anastasia had wrought with their little standoff. Doubtless she'd be in for a lecture from Da Vinci about how they needed to maintain this new base. Mash had been covering her arms, recovering from being so close to Anastasia when she walked out. In spite of that, she flashed her a reassuring smile she half-returned. Walking out of the door stood Ritsuka, looking completely untouched by the clash of hot and cold that had taken place outside his door.

Giving his girlfriend a grin he said, "Glad to see you're rolling out the red carpet for her,"

"What can I say? After the fight she gave me last time she's earned it." Joan responded throwing back her head in dark laughter.

The Anastasia Ritsuka had summoned wasn't quite the same as the one they'd fought, but she still had her counterpart's will, the iron-resolve that allowed her to stare down Joan's fire even as it consumed her and her precious Viy. So long as that was there she had reason to believe there was hope.

* * *

It was almost three days later that Kadoc woke up, sort of. Apparently he'd regained consciousness for about ten minutes before going back under. At least it proved he was out of death's reach. The problem though, had been getting Anastasia to go see him. Joan wasn't blind, whenever she was around she made sure to listen closely to Ritsuka and her conversations. She was dodging the topic of her former Master like a mouse seeking to avoid a cat's paw.

" _Just leave it to me."_ Joan had told Ritsuka and Mash over dinner the other day before she and her boyfriend retired for the night.

As they lay barely awake together in bed she still remembered Ritsuka speaking to her, _"Should I worry?"_

" _Depends, how pissed do you think Da Vinci will be if we start blowing holes in the walls like we did at Chaldea?"_ They'd laughed like school children and kissed each other goodnight, his permission given and his confidence in her reaffirmed.

That was why she was currently lying on the couch directly across from Anastasia, loudly smacking on her double paddy burger while she continued to drink her tea. Sitting across from each other, barely four feet separating them, it became incredibly obvious how different the two women were simply from watching them eat. Joan was laid back, her legs crossed and her gums loudly smacking as she chewed down on her "commoner food" as Anastasia called it. Crumbs and splashes of sauce covered her lips while an array of stained napkins lay scattered around her plate. Anastasia, on the other hand, kept her posture rigid and formal. Her tea cup rising and falling in an almost mechanical motion. Not a drop fell onto her white dress nor onto her table in complete contrast to Joan's messy eating.

As she finished her second burger the Avenger decided it was time to finally break the ice. "I'm a little impressed, you sat there that whole time listening to me eating and never said one damn word about it. It feels like I should be honored."

Anastasia's eyes never met hers, and her voice carried only the slightest hint of acknowledgement. "I have nothing to say since I've simply made myself used to it. Our Master is a commoner, so I must adapt myself to the workings of commoners such as yourself."

Out of reflex Joan felt her eyebrow twitch. "Commoner, am I?"

Finally, one of Anastasia's pale blue eyes settled on her. It wasn't as big as before, but the cold indifference from before was there, and seeing it made Joan's blood boil. "You are the 'dark-side' of the Maid of Orleans, a peasant girl who managed to inscribe her name in history by dying for her faith. Or at least, that's what I've been told. In truth, you are merely a shadow of that woman, a twisted reflection of her dreamed up by a madman. Even with the guidance of a Master, you still remain rather unclothe. Given your origins, I can't really blame you."

The small living room that had been set aside for them immediately became a cesspool of barely contained bloodlust and malice. The reincarnated Servant's smile went from simply teasing to outright venomous while Anastasia's face remained cold and expressionlessly. Adjacent to the two women a collection of logs cackled in the fireplace casting an eerie glow over them. Outside the setting sun had elongated the shadows of the room, including those of Joan and Anastasia. Upon closer examination one could have made out…discrepancies in Anastasia's shadow, in fact, it seemed as if pieces of it were simply flaking off.

"For a supposed royal princess, you've got a bit of a mouth on you, I can sort respect that. Least it means you're not one of those stick-up-your-ass nobles, I hate those." The pale-skinned woman jeered throwing a hand out over the couch. "It'll make working with you easier."

"I wish I can say something similar…but you are very much what I imagined you to be-an unclothe peasant girl with a vulgar mouth and vulgar desires."

"What? You mean you've heard me and Ritsuka? Let me guess, it was that shadow thing's ears, wasn't it?"

It was brief, but Joan saw a break in Anastasia's mask. "Actually, those are Viy's eyes, believe me…Jeanne Alter, you do not wish to see his true appearance."

Throwing back her head in arrogant laughter Joan paid no mind to the shadow-composed being that rose up from her former enemy's shadow. Once she got her laughter under control she stared back at the malformed smoke-like entity, her face framed in a confident smile. Indeed, the blatant supernatural chill accompanied Viy remained, even if its master's memories and cruelty did not. "I got a glimpse when we were duking it out, hideous yes, but oh, believe me, Princess of Russia, I've seen far worse. Shouldered things far worse than what your pathetic little playmate can inflict on me."

Anastasia was silent as she finished off the remainder of her tea. Once she sat the cup down Viy withdrew leaving a cold-eyed Anastasia alone with the Dragon Witch. "Are you seeking to incite me? According to Mash we have already fought, and apparently you proved the might of a dragon is superior to the Romanova Family magecraft."

"I'm trying to figure out if there's anything left of the woman who came within a hair's breath of killing me and my boyfriend. You're going to be fighting with us, and we need that woman now more than some spoiled royal brat." Joan answered.

"Is that the case, or" Anastasia's eyes narrowed. "Is it you're hoping inciting me will reawaken some old memories of my 'other self', the 'me' that served…that man."

"That's a question you're better off asking Master, he's the one with the heart of stupid gold, not me."

"You're his lover, does he not divulge his thoughts to you? Or is your relationship merely one of a concubine and her-"

Without warning the fireplace exploded in a mighty eruption of red, orange, and yellow. Scorching the carpet and wooden floor the hungry fire lashed out, its bright embers quite literally licking at Anastasis's still composed form. Directly across from her Joan, her face illuminated by the bright fire, grinned viciously at her supposed ally.

"Now, you look like the witch Shakespeare spoke of."

"Word of advice, you don't want me to burn you, don't mention that bastard's name around me…ever."

"Noted." It was clear she was keeping the flames at bay via her powers. Joan had to focus her mind's eyes to see to thin layer of icy blue energy that outlined her. Where Anastasia a normal person or the weak-willed princess she'd previously believed, she'd be little more than a sweaty mass begging her to turn the fire down. "Why is Master so intent on getting me and…that man together? I have nothing to do with him. That was another me, a me that killed your comrades and laid waste to your fortress, should you not wish to keep me away from him? To continuously torture him as punishment for what he has done?"

The flames receded leaving behind black scorch marks. No doubt Joan would catch an earful from maid staff and Da Vinci, but it wouldn't be the first time nor the last. Looking her opposite in the eye she laughed, "What a cruel and vicious idea, how befitting of an ice princess like you. Sorry, but that's not how this little merry band of fools operates, nor I. Kicking that bastard's ass was enough for me, and watching him cry his eyes out as his beloved Servant faded away after saving his dumb butt. I may be cruel, but even I draw the line somewhere, shocker, am I right?"

At first a moment of silence followed making Joan believe she was free to continue speaking, but Anastasia's voice, quiet and soft as a feather, cut her off. "No…isn't…not that…unbelievable, at least…not to me." Immediately the flame-wielding witch's eyes widened and her posture transformed. Straightening herself up, Anastasia began to explain herself. "You are…brazen and brutish, even for a peasant, yet…you are the one Master Fujimaru has…taken as his woman. His…one and only woman." For a brief second Joan could have sworn she spotted blotches of red covered the Russian girl's cheeks. "He often speaks of you when we're together…praising you…boasting of you. It is clear he…he is yours, and yours alone. He is…different from other men that I have known, and from what I expected. I…I don't think I quite understand it."

It was then Joan's turn to be silent as she contemplated everything she'd just heard. A part of her felt like jumping in joy at how dedicated Ritsuka was and how he practically worshipped the ground she walked on, while another part of her felt disgusted for that same treatment. She'd developed a reaction to this duel feeling whenever it arose inside of her-smiling and placing a hand over her heart. "He…said all that…didn't he?"

Shyly nodding Anastasia began to fiddle with her ever-present doll. "I…I…don't quite understand it, but he…the way he speaks and looks at you…it…reminds me of my parents." Looking out at the window she caught the ember-like glow of the setting sun, something she'd last watched with unease and faint despair. Now, as she stared at it from the confines of a warm room safe from the dangers and evils of the world a part of Anastasia couldn't help but let her mind drift backwards. The warmth, the light, all of it reminded her of a time that felt like a hundred years ago. In a sense, hundred years had passed, according to Ritsuka, it'd been over ninety years since she and her family had been assassinated. She remembered an almost surreal feeling upon learning that. If things had been just a little different would she have lived that long? Into the twenty-first century? Would she have been the matriarch of a proud and noble family like her mother before her? "Jeanne Alter…how…how did you and…Master Fujimaru….how did you two…"

"Ya' know, that's a pretty personal question, the kind that I'd burn people for asking." Joan didn't like people inquiring about her relationship with Ritsuka, but she knew it was only natural. They were an odd pair to say the least, and people got curious. Hell, Joan herself was still struggling to believe it was all real. Every morning she woke up in his arms, his sleeping face inches from hers, she felt a strange mixture of euphoria and alienation. Several times she'd tried to describe it to others, and it always left her feeling more confused than liberated. Odd as it was, she'd gotten used to it, and eventually accepted that confusion as her form of liberation and peace of mind; even after being reincarnated, she found the duality had simply become a part of who she was.

Lying back she inhaled a deep breath, one that was mirrored by the stoking of the flames across from the two women. "That's a really, _really_ irritating story, one that I don't like telling, but…" A lone golden eye fell on the still-bodied princess. "If I tell you, you better listen. I'm not going to say all this crap again."

Eagerly she leaned in like a child ready to listen to a bedtime story.

"…I haven't got a clue."

"…E-Excuse me?"

"What? I told you, I haven't got a clue. It just happened."

"…You're lying."

"Oh, so you're calling me a liar now?"

Anastasia thought for a moment, not wanting the discussion to devolve into a fight or stare down she realized she had to try a different approach. Looking down at her beloved playmate the Caster realized there was only one way to get what she wanted. Internally sighing she allowed her shoulders to go slack and her voice to relinquish its previous hardness. "I'm…jealous."

 _That part_ Joan wasn't entirely expecting. Eyes slightly enlarged she stared at the ice princess who now refused to meet her gaze.

"I…when he talks about you…I…a part of me feels…envious of you. When he looks at you and Shielder, the trust and affection you all share I…" Gripping her doll Anastasia struggled to contain the buried emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. "It reminds me…of my family, the family I lost. How did you all become so…close?"

Sighing Joan threw up her hands. "Like I said, I don't know! We just…crazy as it sounds, we became like that from fighting." The cruel smile returned somewhat putting the Russian royal on edge. "Can you imagine that? Crawling through mud and shit? Fire and death all around you, your life hanging in the balance like you're walking on a tight-rope?"

"Don't mock me." The Caster fired back. "I may be a princess, but don't you dare mistake me for being too delicate for the battlefield. I was strong enough to give you, a witch who commands dragons, a fair fight."

At hearing that boast Joan's smile deepened. "To answer your question, we all became so close running around trying to survive. When your back's up against the wall, you rely on the person next to you, sometimes as a good meat shield…and sometimes to save your ass when you're too weak to do it yourself. That's…part of being on a team. Or at least, that's what I've learned." Her hand moved from her heart to her stomach, where she was sure her innards were churning around like a vile whirlpool. "At first…I hated the thought of relying on other people to help me, and I hated others relying on me…but…after a while…I realized just maybe…having someone else do the heavy lifting for you was…alright. They covered for me…and I covered for them. You could almost say it's a give and take, you save their ass, and they'll return the favor, if they know what's good for them."

Anastasia lowered her head in slight thought at the description Joan had given her. She never thought much of soldiers and the lives they lived, to her all they were meant to do was fight and that was all. The comradery they formed in the trenches, it was an alien concept to her. "And…you and Master Fujimaru? How did you two…did you bewitch him somehow?"

If Anastasia was expecting another threat or sarcastic quip, she was sorely disappointed. Leaning back into the couch the Avenger allowed a rare genuine smile to plaster her face. For Anastasia, who'd only ever been the receiver of scowls and glares, it was quite a sight to see. "Actually, princess, it was more like…he bewitched me. To start with…I tried to kill him, Mash, and all his allies when I was created. You know about the Singularities, I was born in one of those, a twisted copy of the Holy Virgin Maiden created by a child-murdering ass. I wanted to burn all of France down, and I nearly did, but…he stopped me. Against all odds, that idiot and his merry band of losers kicked my ass and saved France."

"And afterwards he made you his woman?"

Again, there was no explosion of wrath or heated denial. "No, we meet a few more times, but…it wasn't until we meet again in a Sub-Singularity that we….I…fell for that idiot. Without me, Ritsuka would have been dead, but…no matter how terrifying I was, how loudly I abused him or our allies, he…stayed with me. In spite of everything I'd done to him and done to others, he went above and beyond for me. Not just because I was a Servant and he was a Master, but…because he saw me as a person. Against all odds…in spite of every law and rule…he saw me as a woman…worth loving. He reached out to me…and I accepted him."

Anastasia had known Jeanne Alter for little more than a week, and in that time, she'd already formed something of an opinion of her. What she'd just heard and seen, from the words to the deep affection she spoke with, challenged all that. Keeping her mouths shut as to avoid stumbling over her words she looked back at the fire, trying to figure out where next to take her inquiry. "Were you…scared?"

"Of him reaching out to me? Hell yeah I was, I tried to kill him multiple times, but in the end, I accepted, and…" a rare honest laugh fell from the pale-haired woman's lips. "I'm happy I did. Not just because I'm alive, really, truly alive, but because…I have something to live for." Bravely looking up she forced Anastasia to meet her in the eye. The Russian girl seemed a little taken back by the upfront nature of the Frenchwoman. Without a doubt, Jeanne Alter seemed truly the embodiment of fire and passion, a complete and total opposite existence of Anastasia. "It's that I don't give a shit about human history and all that crap, it's just to me…the world, humanity…Ritsuka is all those things to me. He's my everything, and I will burn anyone and anything that threatens him."

Anastasia was beginning to tremble, she could feel it. In the back of her mind she felt Viy stirring, as if wanting to lash out at the witch in front of her simply for existing. "H-How…do you know…that one day, he won't…betray you?"

Joan shrugged. "He won't, that because he knows if he ever does I'll run him down and feed him to my dragons."

"I…see it, so you have proficient ways of keeping him in line."

"If you ever find a guy you'll understand." Joan snickered. "You said you're jealous…why not take a chance with our former sleeping beauty?" As if a switch had been flipped Anastasia went on guard causing Joan to laugh. "Don't look so shocked, just because Master's being all buddy-buddy with you doesn't mean I have to let you run rough shot over this place? Imagine me finding you sneaking into the infirmary to catch glimpses of your former Master."

"Are…you angry? Or happy?"

"Whadda' mean? Angry that you're sneaking off to go see another man? Or happy that you've got your eyes on someone else?" From the bottom of her heart Joan wished she had some time of camera or recorder, this entire conversation was great dirt for her to hold over Anastasia for the remainder of this little adventure. The frigid glare the white-haired girl gave her only made her laughter grow in volume and intensity. "Oh, relax, ice princess, it's not like I've got much room to talk. I'm no longer a Servant, but I am his girlfriend."

Anastasia still wasn't quite sure what to make of Jeanne Alter's existence as a reincarnated Servant. She knew it was possible with the use of a Holy Grail to give a Servant a human body, but she never she'd meet a Servant who actually succeeded in doing.

"Ritsuka Fujimaru is…unusual." Anastasia stated. "I don't believe there's a magus like him."

"Nope, and he's all mine."

"Yes, you've…made that abundantly clear." She said in a distant voice. "We…Servants aren't supposed to do that, become…close to their Masters in that sense. However, this whole situation is…unusual." Anastasia leaned back for the first time since the sit down and looked to the elongated shadows that blanketed the room. "Did you call me down here to convince me to talk to Kadoc?"

The fact that she even called him by his name meant Joan had done at least one thing right. She supposed that could count as a victory. "I called you here so we could settle this once and for all. In a battle of fire against ice, I came out on top, my flames of hatred beating out your despair-borne ice. Whenever it was between us, is settled. If you ever want another ass-kicking, I'm always available."

"Provided you and Master…aren't…coupling."

As Joan's eyebrow twitched in annoyance the faintest hint of a smile appeared on the princess' face.

"Watch it, princess."

"You seem to express no trouble in speaking your mind, so I believe the same privilege should apply to me, we are equals here, aren't we?" She responded in an ironically haughty tone.

Standing up Joan made her way to the door, feeling she'd done all she set out to do.

"Was it…scary, when you realized you'd let Master Fujimaru in?"

Stopping in her tracks the former Servant placed her right hand over her heart again. Her face contorted not into a wrathful scowl, but a thoughtful frown, one that Anastasia could not see. "Of course, it did, opening yourself up to someone…after having the entire world go up in flames is scary as hell. I did everything I could to keep him away…but he didn't care. He walked through the fire for me and told me he'd stay with me through thick and thin." Slowly she turned back and smiled at her elemental opposite. In that moment Anastasia found it hard to believe this woman was once an Avenger-class Servant, a being composed solely of hatred and rage. Illuminated by the rays of the setting sun outside Jeanne Alter, also called Joan d'Arc, seemed more life-like and human than Anastasia herself when she looked in the mirror. "People like us…we're lucky if we get a chance at revenge, luckier if we…get another chance at life. I don't plan on squandering mine."

Before she can take one more step Anastasia blurted out the question that had been eating at her for days. "Did I really sacrifice myself for him?" Joan's eyes squinted and the princess felt the desire to pull back, but she ignored it. "Did…the other me really…take the bullet for…that man?"

"…Yeah, he did. Jumped right in front of Billy, despite barely being able to stand herself." Joan answered in a distant voice remembering the moment. Watching one enemy dive in to save another, it had awoken something inside of her. The night they returned from Russia she remembered Ritsuka gripping her just a little tighter as they slept. She didn't have to think hard to know why. "He cried his eyes out as the other you faded away, but she just kept on smiling. To be honest, the whole scene pissed me off."

There was nothing else to say finally allowing the yellow-eyed woman to leave the room. Anastasia sat alone with the continued cackling of the fire beside her. Dropping her invisible barrier she allowed her skin to feel the warmth of the orange blaze a few feet away.

"Another…chance at life." The youngest daughter of the last Tsar of Russia repeated holding up her dearly beloved doll.

* * *

 **Took me a while longer to write this since I kept going over it again and again. Not exactly pleased with how it turned out, but it's the best I could come up with. Historically speaking, Joan Arc and Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova have a few things in common: both being extremely symbolic women whose lives are subjected to multiple interpretations by the modern audiences, were made Saints after their death, both are national icons of their respective countries, and both of them died in** _ **incredibly**_ **gruesome ways. Given Fate's interpenetration of them I decided to write on that a little with Jeanne Alter being the fiery fury and Anastasia being the cold counterpart, oh, and both fell for incredibly average men way below their league. Both those guys got close to their respective Servants despite the dangers and walls they put up.**

 **Next chapter is Ritsuka and Kadoc, the two most inapt Masters have a little talk with each over their perceived uselessness and mediocrity.**


	2. Chapter 2-Guys Like Us

**As promised here's chapter two featuring Ritsuka and Kadoc. Something of a fair warning thought, this chapter is a little darker compared to the last one, and no it's not because of Kadoc. Also, sorry if I offend anyone's favorite Servant with this one.**

* * *

 _ **Guys Like Us**_

" _May you live in interesting times."_

The first time Ritsuka had heard that saying had been in school, when he was talking and laughing amongst his friends. They'd all gathered round at lunch time to discuss how active and how boring their lives had been. Many of them saw boredom as a curse while others saw it as a blessing. Ritsuka was somewhere in the middle, he didn't mind boredom, but he wanted a little excitement in his life. He'd say he'd have been okay with something crazy like aliens descending from the sky happening. Of course, his friends had laughed it off and debated rather or not he'd be killed, enslaved, probed, become a resistance fighter, or be the guy who romanced an alien princess and brought intergalactic peace. That was a fond memory he always liked to look back on.

He heard that phrase again in junior high when he was assigned to write a paper. That was when he'd learned the origin of that phrase, an English phrase that reportedly evolved from a traditional Chinese curse. Except according to his teacher no such curse existed and the saying was believed to have been a translation error on the part of British statesman Joseph Chamberlain. Whatever the truth was, the saying had gone on to influence people around the world. The topic was each student in the class had to define what "interesting times" meant to them. Ritsuka remembered some of his classes giving fairly standard answers: war, famine, economic depression, civil unrest, outright anarchy, and others had given more fantastical answers such as living a double life or having something incredibly happening to them and changing their lives entirely. He'd be in the latter group, answering "interesting" was something deviating him from the quiet normal life he'd known: going to school, hanging out at school and after school with his friends, coming home to his parents and sister, working part-time jobs, and building models. Something to change that daily cycle he'd grown content with.

Ritsuka didn't define interesting times as something happening to the world, just the world around him.

He'd learned back then the supposed saying was actually meant as a curse because in Chinese culture "interesting" had a different meaning. Interesting meant the opposite of peace and tranquility-it meant disorder and conflict. When he heard that Ritsuka knew why the saying had supposedly been meant to be ironic and even taunting.

Time passed and the paper was turned in, he was given a passing grade, and life carried on.

And then Ritsuka's life became "interesting".

Dragons, magic, gods, monsters, they all existed, just beyond a thin glass wall he'd shattered without meaning to. All those things were now a part of his life, a part of the person known as Ritsuka Fujimura.

He now understood why the saying had been meant as a curse. Interesting times wasn't fun, it wasn't easy, and it most certainly wasn't anything his friends pictured it to be.

But it wasn't boring, no, definitely not boring. And not without its high notes.

Once of those high notes stood beside, a Frenchwoman garbed in jet-black armor carrying a waving flag in one hand and a literal flaming sword in the other. The winter winds whipped her long pale blonde-hair into a mighty frenzy mirroring that of her flag. Another high note stood at his left, her body hunched over and her breath coming out in rigid bursts. She leaned for support on the absurdly large cross-shaped shield planted in the snow in front of her.

Before him lay another possible high note. His face was caked in snow and were it not for the shallow rising and falling of his chest Ritsuka would have believed him dead. From up close he was able to catch the faint moving of the older boy's lips. Though his body was still Ritsuka could still sense the flame of life beating within Kadoc.

As he stared down at his fellow Master Ritsuka felt the strings of sympathy begin to pull at his heart. Reaching for his chest he was amazed at how warm his body felt. He attributed that to Joan, she was always warm like a bonfire, even if she didn't want to admit it. Gazing at the downed Crypter Ritsuka thought back to that fateful day what seemed like another lifetime ago. Considering how things had gone, it might as well have been another lifetime ago.

 _Kadoc…you…wanted to live in interesting times too, didn't you?_

For better or for worse Ritsuka Fujimaru has found himself living in truly interesting times, and he knew as he spoke the words to his Servant-turned-lover and Servant adoptive sister his life was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

* * *

"Are you truly sure you wish to do this? Ritsuka, this is…it isn't exactly what one can call safe."

"I do not see the issue here, Da Vinci, as I'm sure you might have noticed, our Master tends to put safety as a second priority to doing what must be done."

Having Dr. Roman as a surrogate father had been…interesting to say the least. Having a somewhat gender-flipped or supposedly gender-flipped Da Vinci as something of a…wise older sister had been…interesting. Having Sherlock Holmes as his support and being the one to vocally back him on his craziest ideas was without a doubt something Ritsuka wasn't going to forget any time soon.

Still, the fact that Holmes of all people was supporting this crazy idea just reaffirmed Ritsuka's confidence. As he'd discovered there was more to the world's greatest detective than meant the eye, he wasn't as distant or removed from normality as he'd expected, quite the opposite. He understood baser human emotions such as the ones Ritsuka felt, such as the ones that drove him to save the life of the man who'd destroyed Chaldea, took away some of the finest people he'd ever known and tried to kill him and his girlfriend. Either that, or Holmes had a very good sense of "go with the flow" like Ritsuka himself.

There had been some back and forth when Ritsuka returned to home base carrying Kadoc's unconscious body on his shoulders. Mash had offered to carry him herself, but Ritsuka politely declined. Joan didn't say anything having already deciphered what was going on in his head. Given how little sass she'd given him, Ritsuka found it evidence she'd already made peace with his decision.

All things considered, both he and his opponent had come out relatively unscathed, at least compared to how things could have gone. Yes, he'd taken more than a handful of scraps and bruises, including several shards of ice impaling him in places he'd rather not mention, but he'd survived. In place of puncture wounds and such Kadoc had burns, third-degree burns courtesy of the Dragon Witch of Orleans trying her absolute best to roast him and his Servant alive. Admittedly, Joan had given it a good try, and several times she'd come close to completely burning Kadoc alive. Anastasia had saved him, just like Mash and his other Servants had saved him. In the end the gray-haired magus' stamina reached its end and collapsed, ready to take the bullet Billy was preparing for him, but then Anastasia had intervened one last time. It was thanks to her he was now lying in a hospital bed in front of Ritsuka, one of his hands handcuffed to the railings in case he woke up and got any funny ideas about trying to escape.

Looking at him up close Ritsuka was able to finally get an idea of how old Kadoc was, not much older than him. Probably only five or six years older at max. It was yet another similarity between them that would probably go unspoken until someone made a comment on it. His skin was almost as pale as snow and the bags under his eyes remained, Ritsuka honestly wondered if they were natural or if the guy simply was under that much stress twenty-four hours a day. Given the scope of what had happened in the buildup to his defeat Ritsuka was inclined to go with the latter. He didn't really blame Kadoc, and wouldn't hold it against him if when he awoken he tried to kill Ritsuka again despite the presence of his dragon-commanding girlfriend.

Said girlfriend walked into the infirmary at that moment, her trademark jacket draped over her and a tight-fitting t-shirt hugging her body. In her hands were two steaming hot cups of coffee. "Figured you needed something to keep you up before you finally collapsed out of worry. Wouldn't be the best look when sleeping beauty wakes up and asks how come you didn't kill him when you had the chance."

"It's not like it'd be the first undignified first meeting I've had." He joked as she took a seat beside. "At this point I've actually got enough of them to form a list. If anything, if he wakes up while I'm asleep I think I'll have to worry more about him trying to strangle me."

"Oh please," The Avenger snorted reaching out and gripping his arms. While he didn't look it, Ritsuka had built up some muscle during his stint as Chaldea's only surviving Master. Joan herself knew better than anyone the Japanese teenager was much stronger and more durable than he looked. "He tries to pull anything and we'll all come running to find him lying in a heap on the floor with his armor twisted, and you apologizing over and over again like a beggar. Heh, ya' know, I don't think I'd mind seeing that."

A few precious minutes of silence passed as the couple drunk their coffee in silence while standing watch over the unconscious Crypter. It was a blissfully serenity they knew wouldn't last, and indeed it ended when Ritsuka inhaled through his noise.

"Any idea on what I can say to him?"

"Sorry for killing your girl, destroying your little winter wonderland and kicking your sorry little ass? Want me to run out and try to find him a gift basket? Or have Mash put one together?"

"Pretty sure the only gift I can give him is turning back time, and Da Vinci hasn't invented a Mystic Code for that yet."

"Key word being 'yet'. You don't need to turn back time, just tell the idiot when he wakes up who's holding all the cards." Joan snorted leering at the former Master. Subconsciously her eyes continued to drift towards his right hand, where his Command Seals used to be. Call it paranoia, but she'd watched with hawk-like eyes as the red emblem faded away. Only when it was completely gone did Joan breath a silent sigh of relief knowing they'd won. With his Servant gone she had a clear shot at the gray-haired asshole who'd destroyed her place of living and robbed her of the only comrades she'd ever known. For better or for worse, Billy beat her to the punch, and then the ice princess showed she still had some fight left in her. "I…would have stopped if you asked me to."

Without a word he wrapped her hand up in his, the human warmth quickly overtaking her and bringing all her defenses crumbling down. Throwing caution to the wind she allowed her head to fall and rest on his shoulder.

"I know this is hard for you." The turquoise-eyed teen mused. "I…really should have talked to you about all this first."

"Quit it, you know I would have told you to do whatever the hell you wanted. Besides…shit happens." She near growled. Try as she might she just couldn't muster up the usual anger that came bringing up old memories. Personally, she blamed Ritsuka for that. She blamed him for filling her with memories of bliss and happiness, things that used to be contradictory to her nature as an Avenger-class Servant. Now she was human, and she felt what humans felt. Placing her coffee on the ground she cupped Ritsuka's face so they could see each other. Shutting her eyes, she pressed her lips against his not caring if anyone saw or if Kadoc woke up in that second. In fact, a part of her would have killed for that just to see the sheer despair on his face. "I may have lost 'brothers and sisters', but I still have my man, that's enough for me to hold my head up, and say full-steam ahead into hell."

There were times Ritsuka wondered what he'd done to be this lucky, he was average, some would even say below average. He'd been blessed with friends and compatriots he wouldn't trade in for a life time. Perhaps most importantly, he had probably the best girlfriend in the world at his side beside him. Looking down he felt his heart twist itself seeing the comatose Kadoc. Had he felt the same way? Was his bond with Anastasia as strong as his and Joan's? Looking back on that fatally moment where the Russian girl threw herself in front of her Master made Ritsuka realize the answer was right in front of him.

An hour later and he was in the storeroom, shifting through boxes and packages. They hadn't exactly had time to organize, and they were still shifting through materials to figure out what they'd managed to salvage from Chaldea. What he was looking for wasn't as hard to find as it could have been. In the aftermath of the battle Mash had stuck to the orders Holmes had given her.

" _If you see something that can serve as a summoning catalyst, take it. Do not hesitate. As it stands we are fighting at less than a ten of our original strength, the odds are great and if we are to succeed in restoring the proper human history than we must use ever tool at our disposal."_

Delicately he gripped the metallic container used to preserve summoning catalyst. Cracking open the box he stared at the Russian tiara worn by female members of the royal family. Simply looking at the worn slivery crown made Ritsuka feel like he being pelted by a cold northern wind.

"Interesting times indeed." Ritsuka whispered shutting the box then heading for the door. If he was lucky Da Vinci wouldn't be too upset about testing another crackpot theory of his.

* * *

Kadoc Zemlupus liked to think his life wasn't as horrible as it could have been. His current situation notwithstanding his life hadn't gone completely to crap, or at least that's what he kept telling himself. He wondered when he was finally going to snap and admit to himself that he'd gone from out of the frying pan and into the fire, as miraculous as that sounded.

Then again, maybe all this was just natural. When the Chaldea survivors had shown up at his Lostbelt he'd called it karma and readily accepted it. He just wished they'd done him the small kindest of killing him and putting him out of his misery. However, given what Anastasia had done to them, something told him they just wanted to prolong his suffering. Kadoc certainly didn't put that past them.

Sitting in a semi-cell, a bedroom that had been converted into a prison, wasn't the worst of things that could have happened to him. The door was of course locked with multiple locks, both mundane and magical in nature, keeping it from being opened from the inside. A busier sounded every time someone prepared to enter the room giving him warning when someone was about to walk in on him. Usually it was maids bringing food and clothing, never anything more except for occasions. Da Vinci and Holmes had wanted to talk to him, interrogate him, yet after a few questions they'd always withdraw leaving him confused, numb, or angry. It felt like everyone was toying with him.

And then came the first major blow of his imprisonment, the one that seriously made him consider just ending closing the book on his life once and for all.

"Um, Kadoc-san, Master…there's…someone he wants you to see."

It wasn't an order, in spite of everything she'd gone through Mash was still too kindhearted to give hard-handed orders to anyone, even prisoners. Kadoc had been quietly reading one of the few books he'd been given when he heard her voice, his mind raced with possibilities that were quickly narrowed down. His heart was telling him who this "someone" was, but his mind was screaming at him it was impossible. He'd watched her fade away into particles of light as was typical of Servants.

The war within him raged on for what felt like centuries when it had only been a few seconds. Clenching his heart Kadoc tried to figure out what he could, what would people like Beryl or Pepe do. _They'd get off their asses and go face whatever the hell this is, but…I'm not them. I…_ Looking down at his right hand he realized just how much he missed having his Command Seals, not because they were proof of his capability as a Master, but because they tied him to arguable the only person in the whole world he carried about.

That person was…

"Dammit all," He growled running his hands through his messy gray hair. How he so wished that outlaw's bullet had found him instead of Anastasia! "I'll…I'll be out in a second, just give me a minute." Biting his lips the entire time he searched his dresser for something to warry, something that wouldn't make him look too much like a lazy bum. In the end he decided on black-t-shirt and pair of jeans, semi-standard casual wear of Chaldea operatives and such. Steeling himself he voiced his readiness to Mash who opened the door to greet him.

Kadoc couldn't understand why she was smiling at him in that soft, shy way. In his opinion she'd always been too soft and kindhearted to be a on the battlefield, much less a Demi-Servant, then again, it wasn't like he had much room to speak about being qualified.

"J-Just follow me,"

He nodded and did so, making sure to keep almost three paces behind her. Both of them were well aware by all rights, they were still enemies. Kadoc had tried to kill her Master and Mash in turn had down her hardest to ensure his Lostbelt faltered and ended; however, his Lostbelt was already doomed so he didn't really have anything to hold against her. Besides, it wasn't like she was the one that pulled the trigger anyways. As they walked the mansion hallways the twenty-three-year-old couldn't help but feel his old sense of paranoia riling itself up. Peering upwards he saw security cameras lining the hallways and corners, if he did anything stupid something told him he wouldn't live to regret it. On the positive side, somewhat, it made his defeat a little easier to swallow, he'd been bested by a group that at least knew enough to keep themselves on guard. Speaking of guard, though his hands were free personally crafted handcuffs on both his wrists kept him from performing any magecraft; the minute he even tried he'd receive an electric shock that Da Vinci had promised him would have him seeing stars. Kadoc had no intention of putting that light-hearted threat to the test.

Or that's what he told himself until he and Mash reached their destination. What he saw there made him seriously consider having a thousand volts of electricity pass through his mind.

The living room was spacious and elongate, almost Victorian in its design with furniture to match. To his far right lay a fireplace with a cackling fire brimming and hanging from the ceiling was a crystal chandelier that he was sure cost more than what either of his parents ever made in their entire lives. Same went for the Persian rug and gold-lined couch, chairs, and coffee table, but none of that was what caught his eye.

Sitting almost directly across from him was Ritsuka Fujimaru, the kid who'd stolen his life purpose, and sitting across from him was a familiar girl garbed in royal white and blue, a spherical doll held at her side.

Kadoc felt all the air in his lungs leak out as if someone had punched a hole in them. His legs wobbled beneath his own weight and his vision became to grow spotty. Words were spoken, but he didn't register any of them, all he could focus on was the blue-eyed woman staring at him as if he were some strange animal that had crossed into her path. The look wasn't one of complete apathy nor was it one of recognition, it was simple…acknowledgement.

Time passed, how much of it he had no idea. No one said a word or moved a muscle, not even Anastasia. Some of the cold indifference her eyes once held were gone, but in their place was something new-confusion.

"So, um, I guess I can leave you two alone together, huh?"

In retrospect, Ritsuka probably should have kept his mouth shut. Kadoc's eyes zeroed in on him like a wolf smelling blood in the air. Immediately the teenager's frail smile fell and his body became rigid in preparation for what was to follow.

"Is…is…is this supposed to be some kind of joke?!" In all his life Kadoc could count the number of times he'd ever been this angry on one hand, the exact number being two not counting this one time. Red hot anger rushed through every square corner of his body filling him with a type of strange energy he never knew existed. Looking ahead became like looking through a red visor; the only shape he could clear make out was that of Ritsuka's. Glaring at his near sadden impression unscrewed something in Kadoc and the bolts were coming loss one after another. "Did you summon her to mock me?! To rub it in my face that I lost?! I get it, I'm pathetic, I'm loser! I don't need the reminder!"

In spite of the growing aura of violence and anger, Ritsuka remained calm, too calm for Kadoc's liking. His eyes were withdrawn and sad, having recognized he'd made a mistake. "No, I summoned her so you could talk to her again."

"It's not her!" The older youth's voice thundered, resounding through the living room and hallways causing Mash to jump. Only faintly was he aware that there was one other person in the room besides her-Jeanne Alter. If he made one move out of line, she'd roast him like a hotdog on a grill, but Kadoc was past the point of caring. To him, there was only one person in the room worth paying attention to, and that person was looking at him with eyes that made him sick to his stomach. "She's not…she's not the Anastasia I knew! Not the one I fought for! Not the one I…I…" Looking at her would have caused him to break down, so he didn't. "So, is this to you, is it enough?"

Hearing those words made Ritsuka wince in emotionally pain. "No, I…I didn't want that. I'm not trying to hurt you, I'm really not. I just wanted you to-"

The former Crypter never let his younger counterpart finish. Roaring like the feral beasts of the Lostbelt he was in charge of he tackled Ritsuka to the floor. Tears freely streamed down his face as he gathered his strength and threw the first of what would be many punches. "Shut up! You think you can summon her, have us talk it out and that'll make things better?! Think that'll make up for everything that's happened?! Everything _you've_ taken from me?! You already stole my job, my mission! Do you want the woman I love too?! Will that be enough for you!? Uh?!" Every sentence was punctuated by a blow from Kadoc's fists, becoming redder and redder. In the back of his mind he waited for the end to come-for Mash to step in, the Avenger to burn him alive, or Anastasia to flash freeze him. If that last one came true then Kadoc wouldn't have minded it, he felt that was the sort of fate he deserved. "Come on! Say something! Fight back!" He continued to vent and Ritsuka continued to take it all without a word. It was driving Kadoc further and further up the wall. "You saved the world! You did what none of us could! You have Servants! You have fame and status! What the hell else do you want!? What more do you want to take from me?!"

By the time Kadoc took a moment to catch himself he'd burned through all the energy he'd gathered, leaving him a tired-out husk of a man. No one around the pair moved, not Mash, not Jeanne Alter, and not even Anastasia. Both men felt the three girls' eyes on them, peering into them, waiting for this drama to play its course. The mere thought of them watching him like some circus animal renewed his fury resulting in yet another assault of punches Ritsuka took in silence.

When Kadoc finally pulled back he was breathing like he'd just ran a marathon. His hands hurt like hell and his body felt like it had had all the strength sucked out of it. Leaning back he felt like some unseen weight had been lifted off his shoulders leaving him feeling almost…liberated in a sense. Looking up at the light-covered ceiling he was reminded of a time Beryl took him to the gym to work out some…excess aggression.

" _Hey, come on! You're human! Pounding the tar out of something is what we humans do when we're angry or stressed out about something! Nothing wrong with that, hell, sometimes it's all you need!"_

Beryl had been right, he'd left the gym that day feeling better than when he came in. Kadoc felt that same sense of relief as he breathed in and out, coming down from the rage-high Ritsuka had thrown him into. Then he actually looked down to examine his handy work, Kadoc felt like he'd just set fire to his home and all his valuables.

Ritsuka's face closely resembled a piece of mashed up beef: cheeks swollen and red with blood pouring from his noise and lips, and his right eye swollen shut. In spite of horrible damage done to him, the pain he must have been in, Ritsuka's calm expression never wavered. In contrast to Kadoc his eyes remained as tranquil as a tree leaf sailing upon the wind. Despite the damage down to his face his breathing remained steady and calm, his gaze unwavering.

"Kadoc, I'm sorry."

Those two words, those words were like arrows to the young man's heart. Gnashing his teeth, he slowly stood up, his body once more shaking, but not with rage or hatred. "I…I'd like to go back to my room. Now." His gaze remained locked to the floor as he didn't have the strength to face anyone else, much less Anastasia whose gaze he could still feel on him.

As the former Crypter departed Ritsuka sat upwards, taking a moment or two to feel his face. Just about everything hurt, but compared to what he'd been through in the past, it was minor.

"Has anyone ever told you what a grade-A idiot you are?" Joan sneered walking over to him while Anastasia watched on in silent. What was going through her head at the moment was anyone's guess.

Turning to look at her he gave the best grin he could manage. "Yeah, but remember, I'm your idiot."

The pair broke into a strange yet harmonious fit of laughter that puzzled the Russian princess. She looked at the duo then back to the hallway where Mash had escorted the man called Kadoc back to his room. Where this her homeland the man would be on his way to an execution chamber.

 _These…people are strange._ She thought heading out herself coming upon that same hallway. Mash and Kadoc were out of eyesight, but she could still feel them. The aura weighing down on the gray-haired man who'd just assaulted her Master it was…familiar to her. Too familiar.

* * *

About two days had passed since the little incident, and since then Kadoc wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. No one had come to see him or discipline him for his actions. Not even the Avenger, as night fell Kadoc was too paranoid to go to sleep, afraid the Alter Servant would end his life in his sleep. For that reason, he kept careful watch on the door whenever he sensed someone come nearby. It wasn't much, but at least he could prepare himself to face death with a little dignity when it finally came for him.

He waited and waited, yet the bell never tolled for him.

Kadoc found that scarier than the thought of someone killing him in his sleep.

It was when he was in the middle of reading another one of his books after finishing up his lunch that he felt a presence at his door. His magecraft abilities may not have been worth crap, but his senses were honed enough he could tell when someone was around, especially when they weren't even trying to hide themselves.

Setting his book down he walked over to the door. He had a nagging suspicion on who it was behind it, but he was scared to confirm his guess. After a moment or two of contemplating he finally grounded out. "I'm…sorry about waling on you."

"You don't need to apologize, now that I've had some time to think it over…I kind of deserved it. Didn't really think that whole thing all the way through." Came Ritsuka's voice on the other end. He sounded like he was in high spirits.

"Heh, you've been through time covering humanity's highest and lowest periods, yet you're still making blunders like that?" It was an attempted jab, but the former Master found he just couldn't put any heat into it. In the end, it came off more like a joke than anything.

"Like I said, I…kind of owe you an apologize. I guess I just…got my hopes up a little too high with you and Anastasia." The Japanese teen mused.

"You sound almost like you've done this sort of thing before."

"I…sort of have. I was on the receiving end."

Kadoc thought of a minute recalling all his previous encounters with Ritsuka. "You…and that Avenger, the…Jeanne Alter, right?"

"Yeah, her. Real funny story of how that happened."

His hand was against the door. Lying on the other end was Ritsuka, probably sitting cross-legged in the middle of the hallway. It was a ridiculous picture, but it was one Kadoc couldn't get out of his head. Breathing a relatively relaxed breath he turned around and laid his back against the door. In a weird way, doing so made him feel a lot better. "If it's…not too trouble…how'd that happen? How'd you and…her get together?"

There was a brief chuckle on the other end before the story began. "Would you believe it if I told you we first met when she was trying to burn France to ashes with an army of dragons?"

"Let me guess, she was the cause of one of the Singularities?"

"Yep, France, I got to fulfill an old friend's dream of going to France, except I couldn't bring him back any souvenirs, was too busy trying to stay alive." Ritsuka explained sounding like he was recalling a far-off memory. According to what they'd learned about Ritsuka Fujimaru…he'd led quite a colorful life since joining Chaldea. "To her, I was just another enemy, another skull to add to the pile. Not exactly the best way to start off a romance, huh?"

"I've…heard worse. You stopped the Singularity and defeated her, I can't imagine she fell head over heels for your 'magnificent dashing heroism'."

It had been a long time, too long, since he'd been able to laugh with someone without worry or interruption. Once again, it felt liberating.

"You're right, I stopped the Singularity, and no, she didn't fall for me while I was trying to keep her from carrying out her life's purpose. I'll be honest…I was terrified of her when I first saw Jeanne Alter." There was a pause Kadoc recognized as memories of darker times being unearthed and looked upon. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. "Here she was, a girl just about three years older than me, and she had more power in her pinky than I did in my entire body, she could have killed me, tried to kill me. How I managed to survive all her attempts literally kept me awake for weeks even after we'd defeated her. Still, the more we encountered her…the more I…kind of got to know her. The more I looked the more I realized she wasn't some inhuman monster hellbent on setting the world on fire because she could. She was hurt, and I could understand that. Not that it justified killing so many innocent people, but I understood why she was setting everything she could on fire. Hatred does that, that was the first time I ever realized how powerful a force it could be."

"Heh, no offense, but I take it you've never seen the _really_ bad side of life, have you?"

"Nope," he answered with an absurdly upbeat and cheery voice. "Joining Chaldea was literally my first step into the outside world."

"So…how's the experience been?"

A pause preceded the answer. "It's been interesting, eye-opening is what I should say. Anyways, can I trust you to keep a secret?"

"You realize I'm still technically your enemy, right?"

"Yeah, but I trust you enough to tell you this."

There was a beat, then finally a response. "Fire away."

"Part of the reason I managed to survive France was because Jeanne Alter _really_ sucked at being an evil overlord." Ritsuka confessed with a snicker.

Taking a moment to himself Kadoc tried to imagine how the France Singularity must have played out. A dark copy of Joan of Arc leading an army of dragons to burn the country to the ground in vengeance for her death, backed by an army of Servants corrupted by her touch. Ordinarily, that situation alone would have been dangerous enough he'd be shaking at the mere thought, yet from what Ritsuka had said a large part of the terror had seemingly come from his own inexperience than Jeanne Alter's actually attempts to do harm. Given the likes of Kirschtaria and Daybit, the Singularity probably would have been taken care of with minimal effort. "Huh, interesting story, kind of wish I was there to see it. So, what happened next between you and the Dragon Witch, how'd you go from fearing her to…ya' know?"

"To be honest, it's hard for me to pin down." He began sounding a little sheepish. "Over time, as I started to see more and more of her I began to fear her less and pity her more. In the end, when we finally defeated her…I sorta wanted to reach out and hold her hand, tell her there was more to the world than hatred or revenge." A stiff laugh interrupted the explanation. "I carried the regret of not being able to do anything for her for a long time until I saw her again, it wasn't until we had to deal with the Sub-Singularities that I got to see her again. That's when I really got to know her, I…" Kadoc could picture the blush painting his face as he uttered the next couple of words. "I guess that's when I…fell for her. First woman I can ever say I flat out loved, and she was a hated-fueled superhuman spirit capable of summoning an army of dragons straight out of Dungeons and Dragons."

"Like a dream come true, right?"

"Yep, you ever fantasized about stuff like that?"

Before he could answer Kadoc stopped himself. Even if he didn't have his Servant Ritsuka was still the enemy, wasn't he? Yet, the more they talked the harder it was for him to see the younger boy as the object of his aggression and rage, he felt…calm. Like he was talking with Beryl or Pepe again, and even… "Once or twice. No offense, but she doesn't seem like the kind of girl who'd regularly throw herself into your arms. What'd you do?"

"We…got close during the Sub-Singularity, close enough that when we resolved it I…I didn't want to see her go, not again. I used a catalyst to summon her, a piece of the firewood used to burn her. It was a longshot as everyone kept telling me. The Jeanne Alter I summoned…probably wasn't going to remember me, but I still tried."

"She did remember you." Kadoc laughed somewhat harshly. "You got to see the woman you loved again, and you…" Eyes narrowing in pain at the revelation Kadoc tried to think of something else to think about. Why had things gone so well for this no-name kid? He was just like him? Wasn't he? Was his bond with Jeanne Alter that strong? Hadn't he built up the same sort of bond with Anastasia?

"I was fully prepared to start from scratch."

"Huh?"

"With Jeanne Alter." Now his voice sounded firmer and more resolute, like when they were battling at the climax of the Lostbelt. "Even if she didn't remember me or the times we spent together, I wanted to build that bond back up, no matter what it took. To me…Jeanne Alter, Joan was that important to me." There was an intake of breath before Ritsuka said words that sent Kadoc into a freefall of emotions. "If I could do it with Jeanne Alter…then you can do it with Anastasia, I'm sure of that."

Kadoc wanted to scream, to shout, to hit something until his hands bleed again. Instead, all he could do was whimper like some frightened child. "Why? Why?! I'm not you! I'm nothing special! I…I couldn't save the world like you! I couldn't even-"

"You think I managed to save the world and stop Goetia because I've got some special secret? I'm didn't! I was scared shitless the entire time!" It was the first time he'd ever heard Ritsuka sound almost…furious. Admittedly Kadoc was taken back hearing the younger male put so much heart into such words. "I never stopped fearing for my life throughout the entire time! I was scared out of my mind hoping to God I didn't fail and let everyone down! The only reason why I kept going was because time after time, bit by bit, I meant people who I didn't want to let down! My family, my friends, everyone I'd met in Chaldea, and Joan! I kept going because above all else, I wanted them to live! The same way Anastasia wanted you to live!"

The last declaration hit the Baltic-descended youth like a sledgehammer. "H-H-H-How do you know?!"

"Because what Anastasia did…I've seen it before, from both sides." He'd taken some time to calm down, but Ritsuka's voice still contained a hardness, an edge that terrified and intrigued Kadoc. "To put yourself in harm's way for someone, to risk your life for someone else…that someone is important to you. To do it without a minute of hesitation…I had to earn that from the Servants I met. I hated myself for being so weak they had to take the fall for me, even when they told me I shouldn't beat myself up…I hated myself. That feeling in your stomach-"

"Like you're the most pathetic thing to walk the earth. That makes you question what the hell you're doing."

"It drives you crazy…makes you want to tear your hair out because in this giant pool of legends and greats…"

"…You're still so average…so painfully average…" Kadoc finished, his nails clawing at the floor to the point he was sure they were starting to bleed.

"Yeah, that feeling, but…I still had to try." Like an arrow cutting a path through a dark abyss Ritsuka's voice pulled the older youth out of the darkness he felt himself slipping into. "I never once stopped doubting myself, as things kept getting worse I always felt this nagging voice in the back of my head telling me to give up, to let it all go and accept the world was going to end. In spite of that voice, I kept going, I don't know if it was bravery, or if it was just because pushing forward had become an automatic response for my body, but that's what I did. Even if there wasn't a light, I stumbled around in the darkness until I got where I needed to go. I couldn't have done that without Mash or my other Servants. I made good friends…and lost a lot of them, but every loss just made me realize I had to keep going, if not for my sake, then for theirs."

Something in his voice resonated with Kadoc, or maybe it was the picture he was painting. He'd thought they were similar and continuously questioned how this kid who'd never heard of magic or Heroic Spirits managed to save the world. Madness had nearly taken him as he laid awake night after night wondering how it had all happened. His speech had given him some form of an idea. "It…wasn't for yourself, you did it…for them."

"Pretty much," Some of the humor in his voice had returned, yet Kadoc still felt like a burden had been placed over the Japanese teenager. "I'm a piss-poor magus, without my Mystic Codes, I'm pretty much useless. I can't even perform healing magecraft, pretty pathetic, huh?"

"So, I one-up you somewhere." He didn't want his response to come out that upbeat, but it did anyway.

"All I could do…was keep going, and by some miracle, that was enough for my Servants. Guys like us…that's all we can do, keep going and hope to hell somehow…things work out in the end."

The blunt thing to say would have been things hadn't worked out for him, but Kadoc felt something stirring in his chest. Bringing his right hand into view he stared at the bandaged hand, remembering where the red print of his Command Seals used to be. Bowing his head, he thought back to the time he first summoned Anastasia, in a flurry of light and snowflakes. While he wasn't immediately blown away he did sense there was more to the woman than met the eye. In the end, he turned out to be right. Beneath the ice-cold exterior was a jovial, kind woman he never would have met if things had his life ever truly hit rock bottom. "After a while…I stopped caring about the Lostbelt." It was an admission of guilt just as much as it was a release of inner feelings. "I knew I didn't have a chance of expanding mine, being the 'winner' of whatever game that thing that brought me back was playing, but I didn't care. I just…for Anastasia's sake…"

"You wanted to see her become Tsar, didn't you?" Ritsuka inquired sounding much softer than before.

"Pretty selfish of me, huh? Sacrificing the entirety of human history just to please one girl. I'm horribly, aren't I?"

Of all the response he could have gotten laughter was not the one he was expecting. "Actually, I can understand that feeling perfectly. Remember, you're talking to a guy who bonded with people who did some pretty crazy things for what some would call the stupidest of reasons. Matter of fact, going that far for a single person…I'm sorta like that with Joan. The more time we spent together…the more I realized I wanted to save the world so I could show it to her. A world where she could laugh and smile, maybe not forget her hatred, but balance her heart out with happier things."

"Heheheh…I can sympathize with that. Even if I made Anastasia Tsar, my Lostbelt would have been consumed by one of the others and then…well, I never wanted to think about what happens when a Lostbelt is consumed. None of us did."

"About that, you all…you're all competing against each other, doesn't that bother you at all?"

"It's just one of the things we all had to make peace with when the Alien God brought us back." Kadoc explained. "None of us were ready to die, and the way we did…guys like Ophelia and Kirsch won't say it, but it left us…angry. To be honest, when I 'woke up' I was pretty pissed my life was cut short as it was. Now, here we are competing against each other to become the foundation of the new human history, the winner probably getting to survive while the losers are…yeah, we never really tried to think about that part."

"Just got done dying and don't want to experience it again?" Ritsuka joked.

"Pretty much, you ever tried dying?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I did die once?"

Kadoc thought for a minute about calling his bluff, but Ritsuka wasn't the type of person to lie. If he said it, he usually meant it. "You got better?"

"Obviously." He answered to which they both laughed. "Anyways, guys like us may not have any special skills on our own, we may lose out to people who are bigger and have three times as much magical capability as us."

"You don't say."

"But, Kadoc, we can do one thing that I think we should be proud of."

"Before you finish, can you…say that to my face, so I know you're not lying to make me feel better."

"Sure."

It was the first time they were face to face without trying to kill each other or having tension hanging in the air between them. Ritsuka's face had almost completely healed up, Kadoc chalked that up to Mash and Ritsuka himself being tougher than he looked. He looked like he'd been involved in a schoolyard brawl with a few bandages and his eye covered over, still he was smiling.

They sat side by side in front of his bed, the room's air condition pelting them with a cool breeze.

"Guys like us…are good at reaching out to our Servants. I managed to do so to mine…and you did so to Anastasia, and that's why I'm sure you can bond with this Anastasia just as well as you did to the last one."

He couldn't admit how touched he was by his words, Kadoc was never the type to let his guard down so easily around people, at least not ones he'd previously pursued like a mad dog. "You're putting a lot of faith in me."

"I've had to put faith in a lot of people." There was something dark and abyssal in the laugh that followed. Turing over to face him, Kadoc saw the invisible weight Ritsuka had been carrying manifested in the unimaginable darkness his turquoise eyes now carried. Kadoc realized Ritsuka wasn't looking at him, but at something far off in the distance. Something dark and terrible. "I've fought beside humanity's best…and worst. Even thought she looks like a little girl…Jack…I saw the things she did when she fell asleep on me. The murders…the _butchery_. I wanted to vomit when I woke up, and sometimes I did. What she did to those women…speaking of which, there's Carmilla," His hands fell over his face as he recalled the transferred memories of Countess of Blood. "She wishes she'd met someone like me when she was younger, but she doesn't regret _any_ of her crimes. While I'm on this train of thought, how about I talk about Gilles as a Caster, after he went crazy."

"Bluebeard." Kadoc mused. Of all the possible Casters he could have picked, _that one_ was one he wanted specifically to avoid. He may have been a cowardly lazy bum, but child murdering and molestation was where he drew a line. "Technically speaking, since he…created Jeanne Alter and you're with her doesn't that make him your…"

"I try not to think about it." The two inadept magi shared a stiff laugh over the fish-eyed lunatic that was the devoted follower of Jeanne d'Arc. "There's Phantom of the Opera…I saw the things he did when he was stalking Christine, heh, after that I don't think I'll ever be able to look at another stalking movie the same way ever again, and that's not even mentioning having _actual_ stalkers of my own who are totally yanderes."

"Every Japanese guy's worst nightmare. Er, sorry if that sounds a little racist."

"None taken. Thing is…what gets me almost as bad are the conquers and warriors. I never knew what a battlefield looked like until I saw their memories." Leaning his head back Ritsuka Fujimaru looked twenty years older, his eyes and face carrying a type of weariness Kadoc associated with those that have seen many, many terrible things, yet continue to live. "Iskandar, Ozymandias, Vlad, Cu Chulainn, Boudica Spartacus, Nightingale, Mordred, Caligula, and then…I remember Asterios' time in the maze and Medusa's time as Gorgon. What they…"

For so long Kadoc had been envious of this boy who'd managed to gain the trust and respect of several dozen Servants, the likes of which no sane man would have approached, and same would have outright rejected working with. Seeing Ritsuka in that state, Kadoc realized the cost of working with such characters was the young man's sanity. Just as he'd seen pieces of Anastasia's past through her memories, Ritsuka had done the same, only with multiple Servants, some of whom were either rightfully or wrongfully condemned as monsters for their brutality. In a way, Kadoc realized he'd gotten off lucky, he'd only wanted to bond with one Servant and stick with him or her until the end. Ritsuka didn't have that luxury as he needed all the help he could get, and like all things that help came with a price.

 _Maybe Daybit was onto something about not connecting with your Servant, or at least keeping the relationship professional like Kirsch and Ophelia._

"In spite of all that, what they did…how many people they may have killed or harmed…I reached out to them because…maybe I was just deluded myself, but at this point, I really don't care." Allowing his head to fall Ritsuka gave Kadoc that same smile, the one that spoke of dented but not completely dead optimism. How he managed to onto that smile, in spite of everything he's been through. "I…I wish I could see all of them again, but I can't, I can't change the past, but I can still push on ahead, I _will_ push on ahead because is any of them were here, that's what they'd be telling me to do."

The older of the pair stared slack-jawed at the Japanese teen. Exactly what the _hell_ was this boy? How, how in the great big world did Chaldea manage to end up with a person this…open-hearted as it's last Master? Peering deeper into those turquoise eyes Kadoc began to realize why destiny may have chosen this child over the rest of them, he was average, but in his normality, he could strive to be something more, something…great.

"Do you…do you really think I can…"

"When you saw Anastasia, you were happy, weren't you?"

"…Happier than I've ever felt, at least in the past week."

Ritsuka smiled as he stood up. "Then go for it. If you defrosted her once, you can do it again. Average guys like us can only struggle and push on ahead since we don't have anything else to fall back on."

Holding his hand up to the door the locks recognized him and popped the door open allowing the Japanese youth to step out. That was when Kadoc called to him. "Hey, Ritsuka! You…you're really strange, you know that? Most guys…they'd be over the moon at the chance of having multiple girls swooning over them. Back in Chaldea, before Jeanne Alter…did you…"

Blushing and grinning he turned back to him and leaned against the doorway. "Yeeeah, they were cute, I won't lie, but, well…among my friends, I was the odd one out, not wanting a harem of beautiful girls ogling me, I found it a little…much. All I want is one woman to love me for me. Besides, I've got a great woman I wouldn't trade-in for the world, and if I ever thought of about it, she'd burn me."

Once again, the two boys shared a laugh, their second one. Bidding his former enemy a goodbye Ritsuka closed the door leaving Kadoc alone in his room, his mind a whirlwind of new thoughts and feelings. The anxiety he'd built up for the past couple of days, the doubts and fears, the anger, most if not all of it had seemingly…evaporated.

"Guys like us…pushing forward." Kadoc thought placing his hand over his chest as he always did. The Lostbelt was gone and there was no way he could get it back, besides, it was never really high on his list of priorities to begin with. His goal was…

"Um…hello…are you awake?"

The voice soft as snow, yet in a second capable of becoming ice. "Y-Yes?" He answered automatically.

"May I…come in?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes." Again, his response was automatic. Damn that voice and his inability to let go.

Just as quickly as they'd clocked shut the locks slid open allowing the door to open if only just a little. It was enough for Kadoc to glimpse the white-haired beauty that stood on the other end.

"Kad…Kadoc? I…would like to…ask you some things, would it be acceptable for me to enter?"

It was amazing how one minute you're swimming through a sea of pitch-black darkness, and the next you're lying back in a field of emerald grass, a bright sun shining down on you. "Ye…Yes, yes it would."

* * *

 **I'd like to think this chapter was a little more emotionally heavy than the last one. All things considered, Grand Order is one hell of a ride, and I wanted to at least touch upon how the crazy adventure would affect a seemingly normal person-they'd be at least a** _ **little**_ **damaged by all the things they'd seen. Even if Type-Moon tried to lighten the characters to make them more likable or acceptable, some of the things some Servants have done and lived through is still enough to give you nightmares, and all that's taken its toll on Ritsuka. In the face of horror like that, all you can do is harden yourself and keep going, come what may. Everyone falls, stumbles and faces hardship, it's only when deciding rather or not to give up or keep going does one distinguish one's self, that's a trial that "special" people and "average" people alike go through.**

 **Next chapter's the finale, where both couples sit down for one last talk. Hopefully it'll be up in a week or so, until then!**


	3. Chapter 3-Forward Together

**Here's the final chapter of this little side story. Major fluff coming from all sides so be prepared.**

 **I do not own anything.**

* * *

 _ **Forward Together**_

History never had been Ritsuka's strong suit, nor had gymnastics; he was ironically, always more of a numbers and measurement kind of person. Those traits always made him something of the odd man out of his circle of friends, but it did grant him a measure of respect among them. Numbers and math hadn't done him much good in his new job-Master and savior of humanity. On the positive side, he'd gotten more physical exercise and crash-courses in history than any historian could have ever hoped for. All those things made his current predicament perplexing, so much he was sure he could have written a book on it.

"Huh, what would I call it? A 'Master's Guide's to Saving Humanity'? Talk about a crappy title." The teenager jested hanging his head. "All this thought for a book that'll never be read, or at least not read by the right people." Who exactly were the right people? If he were sitting in some study in a centuries-old building he was sure he'd get a lecture on what was to be written and how it was to be written, magi tended to be incredibly picky about leaving their work behind. In that way, Ritsuka was somewhat glad he was writing in his journal free-form, it was his own style, completely unrestricted and unfailingly tactless. He was sure if an experienced magus read it he or she would break out in tears that the writer was "this uncivilized" as he'd heard some magi describe people like him. That was good, something told should the world ever face a situation like this again straying as far from the path as possible was probably what was going to be the deciding factor. It'd worked well so far for him.

In the two years he'd worked for Chaldea Ritsuka had discovered several ways for him to relieve his mind and body of stress. The various Servants he'd amassed had all given him pointers, some better than others. Of all things, writing had turned out to be his de-stressor, and one hell of a way for him to commune the nonstop rollercoaster of feelings his tenure as a Master of Chaldea had put him on. He finally understood what his literature teachers and aunts had told him about how blissful it was putting pen-to-paper.

"Ya' know, finding a publisher for this is going to be pretty damn hard. Shame too, this little adventure could be a best-seller, couldn't it?"

Laughing lightly Ritsuka paused to bask in the joy of Joan's body physically touching his. She'd been supportive of his writing habits, at least so long as he kept them in moderation. If he ever veered off from writing his life story into writing "stupid, romantic horseshit" she'd promised to cut off his fingers then burn the stumps. He'd kissed her cheek and promised her no such thing would ever happen, besides, he could barely write his own life story. Never would he be an author on the level of Shakespeare or Andersen. "As amazing as that would be, I think I prefer it what's written down here stays between you, me, and the Fujimaru family."

Giggling in girlish delight Joan caressed his cheek before kissing him. It didn't matter that she was fresh out of the shower garbed only a towel, any physical contact with her boyfriend was always enough to ignite the fire inside of her. Even when they withdrew for air she made sure their foreheads remained connected. It had become a private joke between them when he said the words "Fujimaru family", though a part of her still very much bristled at the implication, the majority of her body always ripple with joy. She would have liked to have chalked that up to her reincarnation, but in the privacy of Ritsuka's home she allowed more…mushy-reasons to be accepted.

"Just make sure to mention how you had a beautiful and powerful witch at your side to pull your dumbass out of the fire when you needed it."

"Or make the fire burn hotter."

In peacefully silence Ritsuka continued his writing with Joan leaning on his shoulder, the warmth of her body evaporating the residue water from her shower and fueling Ritsuka's strength. If he had one thing to say to Shakespeare and Andersen, they were right about a muse, he had his, and she wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

It was funny as originally Joan was somewhat against the idea of him keeping a journal. Dr. Roman had somewhat encouraged it as a way to relieve stress, but there were darker whispers amongst the Chaldea staff. He was the last Master of mankind, and if he went then humanity went with him. Pressure like that had to be relieved in some way, and writing turned out to be it. More than a few pointed out the hypocrisy of writing a journal where if the writer died than any potential readers died with him. Ritsuka tried to be a little more optimistic, like if he'd succeed in saving humanity but died in the venture he'd at least leave something behind. Back then writing was one of the handful of ways he'd been able to keep from letting the unimaginable weight placed upon his shoulders from crushing him. There had been fear lining his ever word as he put them down onto paper.

The worst kind scenario was he did die and his writings were sent to his family. There was as about as much chance as them believing it as there was finding a penguin in the Sahara. Then again, given the direction his life had taken, Ritsuka couldn't completely roll out that happening too. Surely his parents would be heartbroken, as would his sister. From their point of view, it'd be as if he up and left, and then they have to grapple with the thought of him being dead. From the bottom of his heart he hated that very scenario, but a part of him, a part that had grown hard and cold, knew he had to prepare for it. One could have said with every word he wrote he continuously tempted fate.

And yet, here he was, sitting in bed, a beautiful woman at his side, alive and well. Either by some miracle or dumb luck, he'd managed to keep himself alive, and was doing pretty alright for himself.

"You know, you could keep one of these too." He playfully jabbed when he heard Joan yawn. "For future references it may help."

"Me, write? Look, just because you and the others may have found a way to raise my reading level to…decent, doesn't mean I'm suddenly gonna turn into a poet or author." The truth was actually far more…whimsical as Ritsuka had discovered after proposing the idea a few times. Joan actually wanted to avoid doing written work for as long as possible, at least until they returned to the modern world…and Joan was forced to assimilate. No mistake, she was a dragon-riding, dragon-commanding witch able to lay waste to armies and look good while doing it, but that sort of thing…wasn't exactly useful in the twenty-first century. Her insecurities had been masked well, but eventually Ritsuka had peeled them back, and together they confronted them. Reading lessons, writing lessons, math lessons (they had Moriarty to thank for that one, much to Joan's chagrin), and so forth; it was amazing how much one could learn when they were literally surrounded by some of humanity's greatest writers, engineers, and professors. As one would have suspected, being in the presence of such people allowed even a "farm girl" to rise to a high schooler's education level. It'd come in handy when Ritsuka returned to civilian life with her.

"Any idea what you want to do when all this is over?" Ritsuka asked.

"Besides spend time roasting your sorry ass, none at all."

"Really? I seem to remember coming across a certain sketch book filled with some pretty cool designs. Must have belonged to Artoria Alter."

He really didn't have to spell things out, all Ritsuka needed to do was mention the name of the sword-wielding Alter Servant. "Like hell she does! You think that stupid Brit could come up with drawings as cool as mine?! She can't draw worth a shit!" The snicker face of her boyfriend was enough to get Joan to realize she'd been doped, again. "Ya' know, sometimes I think I let you get away with too much." Seductively she pushed him down onto his back, his journal closed beside his head and his face an easy smile despite the dark aura emanating from his lover. "You're forgetting how dangerous I can be, do you need a reminder, _Master_?"

There were several things a good could have felt having a beautiful woman clad in only a towel straddling them with eyes blazing with maniacal fire. Some would have argued arousal as the dominant emotion, others fear, but for Ritsuka, he felt only a peaceful joy that had him feeling like he was walking on air. Any second the towel could have slipped exposing Joan's flawless body, but neither of them would have carried. They continued smiling at each other, the playful malice in the Avenger's eyes fading away second by second. Finally, she chuckled then rolled off of him to go finally dress herself for bed. As she did so Ritsuka went back to his writing.

Some time ago Joan would have been a little offended that Ritsuka wasn't watching her as she got dressed. Whenever she showed skin there was a part of her that demanded him give her his full attention. She liked to think she'd outgrown that phase, ludicrous as it sounded. While she hadn't shaken all of her "bad habits" she believed in her formerly pitch-black heart she'd matured just a little into a…better woman. _Look at me, the supposed embodiment of hatred and wrath, and here I am…playing, being a…_ Slipping on her shorts she moved towards one of the bookshelves. Just as Ritsuka had a place for all his books, so too did she, and so too did she have a…journal so to speak. Joan tried not to remember when Da Vinci discovered she'd taken to sketching and drawing, the overzealous inventor had nearly driven the Dragon Witch to burn her and half of Chaldea down to the ground just to get her to shut up. She kept telling herself her drawings weren't anything special or incredible, that they were far cries from the works created by more seasoned hands, but Ritsuka…had bewitched her again.

She'd lost a lot of things when Chaldea was destroyed, a lot of things she'd come to value more than her own life, but not all of them. The sketchbook wasn't anything grand, just a simple black-covered ring-bound book with a couple dozen pages for her to draw in as she saw fit. When she first got it, she tried to tell Dr. Roman and Mash that all she was going to do was use it as firewood, that turned out not to be the case; before she knew it, she found herself doodling in her off time, taking care to guard her sketches from wondering eyes. When she moved in with Ritsuka she realized it was only a matter of time until before her lover found her sketchbook.

" _You know, if you wanted to, you could go for an art major when all of this is over. Seriously, these are some of the best drawings I've ever seen."_

Cradling the sketchbook, she remembered the flustered response she'd given, threatening to sear his eyes. "Do you still think so?" Both of their eyes met at the same time. As expected, his knowing smile indicated he knew what she was talking about meaning she didn't have to beat around the bush. "Do you…think anyone would find my drawings acceptable?"

"If they were good enough to be praised by Leonardo Da Vinci and Sherlock Holmes I'm sure someone in the modern world will give them a look." He answered patting the spot next to her. Quietly she took a sit beside him and threw open her sketchbook, the pages she landed on depicted Lancer Cu Chulainn as he was about to throw Gae Bolge, a scarlet wind swirling around him as he prepared to do so. "I've fought beside humanity's best and worst, and you've drawn them in action, we make a good pair."

"Huh, what I should be drawing is all of them dying painful deaths. Wait a second, I know I drew one of those." Skipping through the pages Ritsuka saw old faces that filled his heart with both warmth and dread. No one would have expected the Dragon Witch of Orleans to have been a gifted artist, which made her talent all the more treasurable in Ritsuka's opinion.

"I think you should show that one to Kadoc and Anastasia."

Joan's eye twitched. "Like hell I will."

"I think they deserve some kind of good reward for a few days of good behavior."

"I thought the reward wasn't I don't roast either of them."

"Verbally or physical?"

"Do you want me to roast you too?"

"If you can't show your sketches to two co-workers how do you expect to show them to your superiors when they ask you for designs?"

Damn him and his logic. "Oh, so _now_ they're co-workers? Last I checked one of them was still seating a cell getting his meals through a slide-through door like a dog."

"Yeah, about that, I sorta arranged a talk with them tomorrow. I think it's time we changed that."

"You've ran it over with Detective Smartass and Da Vinci, I take it?"

"Yep, I've already got their approval so the only thing that's left is…us."

Her pouty expression dissolved in an instant. Breathing in through her noise she flipped the pages until she came upon the first of her "Avengers Section" as it'd been dubbed. The first was Angra Mainyu, the being said to embody all of humanity's evils. Contrary to all that…Ritsuka and Joan had actually found him to be a somewhat more pleasant person than either imagined possible. Well, Ritsuka did, Joan mostly liked taking jabs at how weak her "predecessor" was compared to all the buildup. To compensate for that Joan made sure all her drawings of Angra Mainyu depicted him in his full dark glory-a tattoo-covered figure bathed in waves of pitch-black darkness, and a wicked smile plastered over his face. Page after page, the false god was drawn as evil incarnate. Angra Mainyu had been rather ecstatic about seeing a "truthful" portrayal of himself. Next was the Count, sorta. Most of the sketches Joan had done of Edmond were in a word, goofy. This naturally had to do with the…strained relationship between the two.

Well, strained didn't exactly cover it. More like Joan acted as any younger sister would have with her big brother. It was cute and he enjoyed teasing her over it, even when she threatened to kill him if he didn't stop. Regardless, once he laid eyes on the drawings the French Servant had done of him the Count of Monte Cristo had remarked she had an "artist's hand" before vanishing in a whiff of darkness leaving behind a foaming Jeanne Alter.

Hessian Lobo had been an interesting case, Joan seemed to have a hidden fondness for the pair, not that Ritsuka blamed her. Though original enemies, like ninety-percent of the people she knew, Joan had gradually warmed up to them. He'd noticed she seemed particular fond of Lobo. On that one he felt his sister's words had been right, cute animals appealed to everyone, granted Lobo wasn't exactly little and cute was one of the last words one would have used to describe the bluish-white giant wolf capable of outrunning a motorcycle and turning a tank into metal scraps.

Gorgon, she was both terrifying and beautiful, admirable as Joan had once said. Rather out of amusement, admiration, spite, or some combination Joan had taken to drawing the Greek woman with a head full of venomous, hungry-mouthed vipers as she was so commonly depicted in myth. The cautious of Chaldea's populace believed Joan was trying to invite disaster by drawing her as such, Joan didn't really argue with that sentiment.

Brief as their interactions were, Ritsuka liked to think she'd captured Antonio Salieri in her few sketches of him. The real him instead of the dark yet cool looking demon…thing he turned into. He was sure when he eventually summoned the musician to their new home base he'd be at least a little happy to see a portrayal of him as he was in life-untainted.

Leaning her head against his shoulder she sighed. "We're making some big assumptions, like there's even going to be a 'happily ever after'. Look at me, even if I'm human, I'm still an Avenger, I'm not supposed to talk like this."

"Maybe," the Japanese teen admitted. "But, like you said, you're human, and hoping is part of being human."

"Always have an answer to everything, don't you, Ritsu?"

"Actually, I like to think I've just gotten good at rolling going with the flow of things, as hectic as that is."

"Whatever the hell it is," she kissed his shoulder. "Don't ever give it up. It's probably one of the only things keeping you sane."

"I actually like to think that's part of your job now, you're a big reason why I'm able to get up every morning and go through this crap."

Shutting her eyes, the pale-haired woman comfortable leaned against her lover while quietly closing her sketchbook. Her faint breathing continuously tickled Ritsuka's neck, soothing him and whatever remaining nerves he might have possessed. "There you go again, stealing my lines. It's a wonder I haven't found some way to make you pay for all the crap I put up with because of you."

"There's always making me give your dragons dental jobs, it's one of the many odd jobs I've got used to doing."

"Oh please, I've been around you so long all my pets have practically gotten used to you. I'm talking about something that'll actually annoy you."

"Huh-uh, so you're okay with meeting Kadoc and Anastasia tomorrow?"

"Yeah, yeah," yawning she removed herself from him and laid now upon the pillows. "Tomorrow we offer an olive branch to the pair that trashed our home and killed all our comrades, isn't life grand?"

Chuckling all the way Ritsuka shut his book as well and put it away. Even when shutting off the lights he looked back over at his bed. Though dark Ritsuka could perfectly make out almost every object in his room, a possibly holdover from going through countless scuffles and deadly ordeals. Joan's sleeping form was always a sight to see, to him it was one of the most tranquil things he could have pictured. Sighing in content he walked over and moved himself under the covers. Laying a hand over her waist he nuzzled her shoulder.

"You shouldn't worry too much about them reading it, whatever bad habits they may pickup from me, I'm sure they'll be enough of you to balance things out. Our kids will be hot-blooded, but cautious enough to watch it." Joan whispered.

Tightening his grip, he lightly kissed her neck. "I keep hoping all of this will end with us defeating the Crypters, but I can't be _that_ optimistic. Writing in that journal…I just hope I'm preparing them."

"You're talking like that book is all they're going to have to go by to guide them." Turning over she zeroed in on him with those supernatural-golden eyes. First, she intertwined their legs, then she pressed her forehead against his. Eyes closed in bliss she said, "We'll be there with them, protecting them. Come what may, no matter who or what we're up against, we're making it through alive." The first time he saw Joan's eyes turn into draconic slits, he'd been both fascinated and terrified, time had turned the terror into completely amazement. "Most parents tell their kids all kinds of stupid fairy tales about knights and crap like that, but we'll tell our something different. We'll tell them no matter how great the adversity, they can win, because their parents faced down the same odds, and they came out on top. If they stumble, we'll be there to pick them up."

He could have listed a mountain of things that had changed since becoming a Master and gone into vivid detail about every one of them. Undoubtedly at the time the woman lying in his arms was the pinnacle change he was grateful for. She was his strength and drive, and without her Ritsuka knew facing down the threat of the Lostbelts would have taken a greater toll upon him. As long she was with him he knew he could overcome anything that came his way.

"Thank you, Joan."

* * *

Kadoc had never been a tea person, matter of fact, until he came to Chaldea, he was sure he'd never had a cup of tea in his whole life. Growing up it didn't exactly fit into his childhood, and none of the people he knew ever felt kind enough to brew him a cup for whatever reason. By the time he was brought into Chaldea's fold, he'd grown something of an aversion to tea, to him it had become a "rich man's commodity", something he could never afford as he was neither rich in money or magical ability. Coffee had become more of his speed, which ended up going hand-in-hand with his "zombie appearance" as Beryl sometimes called it.

And then he met Anastasia.

He remembered the first time she'd brewed tea for him. At first, he'd battled with the urge to turn her down, but eventually he decided to give it a shot, and that turned out to be one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Now, he believed he wouldn't accept tea if it was brewed by anyone else besides Anastasia. When she took the bullet for him, literally, he truly believed that would be the last time he'd ever have tea again, and yet here he was, sitting in his cell-room, enjoying a fresh brew with her.

"How…do you like it?"

"It's…more sugary than usual. I take it you had some input from the…staff?" It still felt worried talking about his prisoners as…normal people. Hell, over the past few days Kadoc had started to see himself less and less as a prisoner and more of a…guest. The whole thing was still quite surreal for his point of view.

About six days, close to a week had passed since he and Ritsuka had…talked. No matter what happened to him, Kadoc would always remember that day, never before had he felt such an enormous amount of rage, despair, relief, and even happiness in short intervals. If he'd known what day it was on the calendar he would have marked it.

Anastasia…Ritsuka's Anastasia was a tad bit shyer than the one he knew. She wasn't quite as cold to him as his Caster was, but she was noticeable more reserved around him; she was watching him, analyzing him. Kadoc didn't blame her caution. From her perspective she'd been summoned then thrown into an emotional roller coaster she never asked for so it was natural she was on guard around practically everyone. When she caught him, Jeanne Alter had remarked Ritsuka had "softened her up" for him, Kadoc had grown used to being taunted, and the reincarnated Servant's taunts were no different than those of his past bullies. Still, it could have been his imagination, but when she spoke to him he thought he could detect a faint sense of…encouragement from her. He'd told Ritsuka he'd landed himself one odd Servant, and an even odder girlfriend, but given Kadoc himself, he didn't exactly think he had room to talk.

Starting his relationship from scratch with Anastasia had been…interesting to say the least. The night she came to him to talk, he'd felt like his heart was about to explode. They sat together, side by side on his bed, not really looking at each other. She asked of the Anastasia he knew, and he told her, she asked what similarities she bared to his, and he answered truthfully.

She asked if the Anastasia he knew was happy serving him, and he couldn't give a definite answer. In light of that she'd decided to get an answer herself by continuously seeing him.

Day after day, she came to his door, a tray full of brimming tea at the ready for the two of them. In a sense, it was just like old times.

"Do you like the extra sugar? If not I can change the recipe." She politely offered.

"N-No, it's fine. I…uh, I actually kind of like the extra sugar. Just wish I had some place to…burn it off." It wasn't like sugar made him hyper, but from time to time he did get a little fidgety. That was probably the only reminder that he was still a prisoner of war, sorta.

"Hm, that may be change after tomorrow."

The devil-may-care tone of her voice surprised him, and worried him.

Looking at him almost shyly it became obvious she'd been building him up to something, and was about to reveal what it was. For once, Kadoc didn't feel angry about it, despite the sudden tightness in his chest. "Ritsuka…says he would like to speak with you tomorrow at noon. He's been talking with Holmes and Da Vinci, I believe they plan on releasing you."

Wide-eyed, he stared at her half-expecting Anastasia to state she was joking with an absolute stone-face, or for the world around to crack and shatter like glass hitting the ground.

"You shouldn't sale yourself so short."

"Huh?"

"You go on like you're less than useless, like your entire existence is unwanted and unneeded, but that is not the case." In one of the rarest shows of affection he'd seen from her she took his hand, his right hand, into hers. Her hands were cold, but not like ice, cold like soft powdery snow. It was comforting. "Originally, you were chosen to be one of the seven original Masters, and then you were chosen to be one of the seven Crypters charged with rewriting human history. Even defeated, fortune continues to smiling upon you by offering you a _third_ chance, such a thing rarely happens, even to the most fortunate of people. In spite of all the pain you've inflicted upon them and what you aimed to do, Chaldea's survivors have shown willingness to overlook that and offer you a place at their side, no strings attached and under no forcefully conversion. Back in my time, such a turn of allegiance only occurred after one had been physically and mentally tortured to the point of wishing for death. Compared to many, you've been blessed with great fortunate, so don't squander it."

Pure silence filled up the small room like leaking gas. Kadoc's face consisted of a wide-open mouth and wide-eyes, an expression that was extremely alien to him. He sat in beside her, unable to properly speak or hear at her…uplifting declaration. Very few people had spoken such encouraging words to him, in fact, those that did could have been counted on one hand. Even when they were in the Lostbelt together Anastasia had never been quite as direct as this new embodiment was.

His open-mouthed silence seemed to unnerve the Russian princess a tad bit as she turned away, a light blush playing at her cheek. "I-I…I fear I have interacted with that witch too much."

That was the window Kadoc needed to regain some measure of composure. "I-I've heard you two…have been hanging around each other quite a bit. You two aren't by any chance…"

She really did try to look intimidating in front of him, she really did, yet Kadoc felt nothing but…amusement as she glared at him. "While I may have had to make…accommodations to the current situation, I will _not_ acknowledge anything but a professional relationship with that…woman. We both simply serve the same Master, and that is all. Nothing more, nothing less."

For the nth time Kadoc truly wondered what went on outside of his makeshift cell. From what he constantly heard whenever he was allowed out or someone came in, quite a lot. "O…kay, whatever you say."

"If you are release, it will no doubt be under the original employ of Chaldea, to serve out your original purpose." Minor as it was, she noticed a shift in his demeanor-a down turning of his eyes and shuffling of his legs. "Does it bother you to return to them after your original betrayal?"

"It's not that, it's…" Racking his hand over his head he tried to find the words to describe the turbulent emotions swirling about inside his heart. "I just feel like I'm…back to where I started. When this…when I…"

"Do you see yourself as Ritsuka's…sidekick as they say?" The Russian princess suggested.

He would have liked it if she was a little less…blunt, but maybe blunt was what he needed. "You…aren't beating around the bush, are you?"

"Do you believe I should be delicate when dealing with you? Technically speaking, we are…" What exactly were they? They'd talked and discussed things with each other, rather personal and private things. Their relationship had progressed a little too far for a Servant and her…former Master. Even with her royal vocabulary she found it hard to find words that accurately described their relationship to each other. Turning her head away she continued searched in privacy, hoping Kadoc wouldn't catch on too quickly to her rising embarrassment.

"Since you asked, I…kind of do, but at the same time, a part of me is…hopeful."

Out of the corner of her eye Anastasia was sure she caught Kadoc smiling. He rarely smiled, but when he did, she found he looked rather…peaceful.

"I was the tail end of A-Team, and just about everyone knew it." He begun hunching over, his elbows on his knees. "I was going to have a Caster that could do all the work for me with what little mana I could give him or her. Stick in the back, provide support, keep my head down, and if the time came do what was needed. That was my plan…hehehe, needless to say all that went up in smoke."

Spying his hand Anastasia reached out and took it. "Do you still dream about it? Your death?"

"Is it wrong that I've gotten used to dreaming I'm sitting in a metal pod, my body completely immobile, and screaming my head off when I start to feel my flesh burn? Most people get therapy for stuff like that."

"You're not most people, Kadoc, as I've told you."

"Heh, maybe you're right, but anyways, I still think about it. I…I don't want to go through that again. At the same time though, I don't want to spend the rest of this…war sitting here in this room, unable to do anything." Gripping her hand tighter than he realized he gnashed his teeth. "I hate myself for being so useless as a magus, and I hated Ritsuka for doing what I couldn't do, but…focusing on that hatred won't do anything for me. About a week ago he…talked to me. He was scared too, and still is, but he keeps going."

"Naturally, though he may look an inapt peasant, there is something…unique about him." The white-haired girl concurred.

"Ritsuka told me he kept going because people depended on him, his family, his friends, his girlfriend. I…don't have any of that. My parents died when I was fifteen, and I never really made what you could call friends to lay down my life for, or at least I don't have any I'm trying to save now." The faces of his teammates flashed before his eyes sending a ping of guilt through his heart. From the start he knew it was a competition and they were all competing against each other. He knew he was going to be in the bottom brocket from the get-go, so was Hinako. They'd resigned themselves to losing and decided to make the best of it. "I don't have a family or found family backing me like he does, but…in spite of all that…I don't want to give up. Even if I don't have a Servant with me, I just don't want to go back to feeling like I'm some useless sack of shit!"

"Then don't, fight with him, with her, with…" Quick as a wolf sniffing blood he snapped to her, frightening Anastasia just a little. Him obviously meant Ritsuka, her could have been Mash or Jeanne Alter, and the last one was…

" _Did…the other me really…take the bullet for…that man?"_

"… _Yeah, he did. Jumped right in front of Billy, despite barely being able to stand herself."_

According to Holmes and Da Vinci Kadoc's Lostbelt was doomed from the start, and so was everyone in it. In spite of that, he continued to press on because he wanted to make his Anastasia Tsar. She'd read his files and admittedly, she wasn't sure how such a weak-looking person could find the inner strength needed to stand against such a wicked fate. Over the past week she'd gotten her answer, and seeing him attempting to muster up that same courage was the final piece of evidence she needed.

"If I were to say I was going to fight beside Ritsuka, would you follow me?"

"E-Eh?"

"I said, if I were to fight beside Ritsuka would you follow me? Would I be worth it?"

What kind of question was that? Kadoc felt his mouth moving again before his mind could comprehend what was going on. "Yes, even if I wasn't your Master I'd…"

"If not for saving the world…could you at least fight for me…as my personal agent?"

Of all the things he'd heard in the past two weeks _that one_ was probably the most ridiculous.

"You were willing to remain at the side of that Anastasia through death and despair…because you cared for her. Is it possible I…could be worth such devotion as well?"

Was she…blushing?

How was he supposed to answer that? He wasn't trained for this! Really, no man was!

As the magus panicked he recalled his conversation with Ritsuka barely a week earlier and how he'd spoken of his relationship with Jeanne Alter. He hadn't talked with someone like that since…since…not even his high school years were as crazy as that discussion!

Taking his silence as a no Anastasia removed her hand from his and abundantly stood up. Turning on her heel she was mid-way to the door when she felt Kadoc's hand grab her wrist.

"I would…if it were you…I'd do that."

Behind her curtain of white hair Anastasia's eyes widened considerably. Slowly, she turned back around so they were face to face. "Kadoc?"

"I…I do have something I can keep going towards, I may not be able to save the world," He started letting go of her hand and taking a step back to give her some space. "But I can help you help him save the world. A guy like me…I should at least be able to do that, can't I?"

Slowly, the Russian princess's lips curved into an upwards smile of genuine affection. Reaching out she framed the gray-haired youth's face. "I believe there is only one way to answer that."

* * *

Both parties were seated directly across from each other on a couch with a gold-lined glass table in-between them. At Ritsuka's request Mash sat rather uncomfortably in a cushy sit between them. Should hostilities break out for some reason he trusted her to be fast enough to react in time, though he hoped they'd all been able to move past that point. Anastasia had prepared fresh cups of tea, to which all of them save for Joan had thanked her for.

Though the differences were subtle, Ritsuka was able to deduce Kadoc's physique had begun to change a little for the better. The bags under his eyes weren't quite gone, he said they were "natural" to which Joan had mercilessly joked about. His body was no longer rigid and tightly-wound like a spring, but more relaxed. Lastly were his eyes, he'd learned how to read a great deal about a person through their eyes over the course of his adventures. Before Kadoc's coppery-like eyes were filled with nothing but worry, emptiness, and a tinny bit of anger, none of those things remained. When he smiled at him, he didn't scowl or shrink away, he actually smiled a little back at him.

"So, prisoner, ready to submit?" Joan fired off kicking up both her feet onto the table. She'd been told almost a hundred times not to do so or deface the furniture, but all that served to do was motivate her. Ritsuka believed she got a kick out of dirtying all the high-priced furniture in the mansion with ash, soot, dirt, and from time to time blood. Given her personality, Holmes had concurred and stated they'd best resign themselves to it. The maids and butlers were not happy.

"I was under the impression I'd already done that. I have been on my best behavior for the last couple of days." Seeing Jeanne Alter in battle had made Kadoc slightly terrified of her. He'd read the reports of the Dragon Witch of Orleans, now personal Servant and bodyguard of Chaldea's last (loyal) Master. Facing her once had him counting how many seconds it'd take for his mind to shut down from the pain of being burnt alive, but things were different now. Though he still trembled a little at the aura of malice the woman walked with, he knew she wasn't completely without some shred of humanity.

"We'll be the judge of that." She fired back attempting to scare the youth with her piercing glare and voice. "If you ask me, we've been a little too lenient with you."

"U-Um, Alter-san, I actually think we've been pretty fair to him. He hasn't caused much of a disturbance, save for what he did to senpai." Almost as soon as she said it Mash wished she could take the words back. Kadoc's head fell a little while Joan snickered and Ritsuka raised his hands in surrender. "S-Sorry."

"I-It's no issue. Besides, look at me, barely even a scratch left." Winking at caused the Demi-Servant to break out into a flustered blush. Beside him he heard Joan snort and mutter something about "bottom" but ignored it. "Anyways, I called you here cause…well, it's not really an interrogation. I sorta suck at those."

"You suck at a lot of things, if he wanted to interrogate you, he would have just left you with me, by yourself." Joan added shooting a wicked smile at Kadoc and Anastasia. "Without the ice princess there to protect you."

"I have no desire to protect this man, if anything it is the opposite. He is not my Master, he is my agent." Anastasia fired back her usually haughty voice stunning the three Chaldea survivors.

Ritsuka and Mash exchanged a look before bursting into uncontrollable laughter while Joan simply scowled at the blushing ex-Master.

"Geez, you really are head over heels for her, aren't you?" She growled.

Anastasia narrowed her eyes. "It's not as if his devotion to me is unsightly, it is just as strong, perhaps stronger than Master Fujimaru's devotion to you."

And like that, the gates were thrown open and the temperature of the room skyrocketed. It was a good thing no one was touching their tea or drinking it as the brown liquid quickly began to boil, and the metal tea cups grew visibly brighter. Mash began to comically panic while Ritsuka, wearing an almost blissful expression, placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder to calm her down. Seeing it Kadoc couldn't help but let out his first true laugh during the meeting.

"Seems you've got yourself one scary but devoted girl."

"Yep, I can say the same about you." The Japanese Master responded with a laugh causing Anastasia and Kadoc to blush bright red. "Since you're already agreed to become her agent can I take your decision to join us as a yes?"

He could have said yes and ended the whole meeting right there, but Kadoc was in a mood and he needed it to be satisfied. "I…know you've both answered me in your own way, but…I need to know…why? I destroyed Chaldea, I took away all of your comrades. So…why are you being so kind to me? Even offering me a chance to come back?"

"Putain, I already told that ice sculpture beside you!" Joan roared grabbing at her hair. "Kicking your snow-covered asses across Russia was enough for me! That and seeing you cry like a bitch when your Servant faded away, that was enough for me, don't make me say it again!"

Once he was sure Joan's rant had run its full course Ritsuka spoke up. "Like I told you a couple of days ago, I'm…willing to look past that. Part of the truth is…we can kind of use the extra help."

"You've already figured out my Lostbelt was pretty weak, huh?"

"Da Vinci told us when compared to the others you were-"

"Second to last, not hard to see why." Joan interrupted.

"Knowing that, can you really say you want a guy like me on your team?" His question was genuine. "I'm a piss-poor magus, as far as athletic ability goes I'm pretty average, and I'm a pessimist."

"No, you're not, Kadoc-san." By speaking Mash swung the attention onto herself. Thankfully, she'd done enough growing up as to keep her nerve with eyes on her and remain clear-voiced and focused when speaking. "Y-You can be a little negative at times…but you're never a full-on outright pessimist, or at least not as bad as some of the ones we've come to know. On top of that you're…you're…" Taking a deep breath of air she threw out the next set of words hoping they'd stick. "Both you and senpai are really strong-willed! Even if neither of you think you are!"

As was expected, silence greeted her causing Mash to mentally retreat inwardly. The one who broke the silence was the last person she expected, or wanted.

"Hahahahahaha! Look at our little Shielder, seems after all these crazy adventures she's finally grown a spine, and a damn strong one." Joan roared resulting in Mash's face turning redder than an apple. "If she could grow a pair, stand up against enemies five times her size and power then so can you, don't you think?" To avoid the witch's leering gaze Kadoc tried to focus on the ground, and when that failed he found his eyes drifting over to Mash. The whole affair simply made Joan laugh even harder.

"See, you're already a part of the team." Ritsuka stated trying his hardest not to laugh as well.

"You call this a team?" An embarrassed Kadoc sneered.

"Yep, you definitely should have been with us in Chaldea. Compared to the antics we used to get up to this is actually pretty tame, right Mash?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes," The flustered girl stammered out hoping to shift attention away from herself. "W-W-We can accept you, will! T-That is if you'll…"

"You may not think you have anything to offer, but you never know, you could surprise us all." Kadoc's attention fell back on Ritsuka, who remained in his seat with a carefree smile. To the other four sitting beside him the fact he was able to hold onto something so simple was a miracle into itself; they all had seen bits of the darkness he held inside, and it wasn't pretty. "The thing about trying to save the world ending…it brings out the best and worst in everyone, or at least that's what I've found out. Luckily, I've seen more of the former than the latter, and I don't think you'll be any different."

Kadoc smile was half-impish, and half touched. "Some day you're gonna have to tell me how the hell you're able to stay so…upbeat about all this. Most people would have caved under the pressure."

"If we live through road trip I'll tell you." His eyebrows rose and a look of deep thought came over his face. After shooting a quick glance towards Joan he turned back to him. "You think any of the…things we've been through would make for a good book?"

"Don't tell me you're planning on writing a book about this. The Magus Association would never allow such a thing to be written, much less printed."

"Well I've…kinda already started writing some of it down. Helps that as of now there is no Magus Association." Ritsuka laughed to which Kadoc joined him.

"A bunch of asses, aren't they?"

"Totally."

"Which is one of the reasons I haven't fed you to one of my dragons." Joan happily added. The ridicule and scorn the organization had treated them with still left an immensely bitter taste in her mouth. It'd taken nearly all her self-restraint not to fly out and kill them all when they branded them heretics for doing what needed to be done to save humanity. She supposed if there was one positive to the Crypters overwriting human history with their own it was that band of pompous jackasses were no longer living. _Heh, maybe if we tinker around a little we can make it so now of those pricks are ever born or become big-shots. A little low-key, but that could work._

"Is that normal?"

Rather she was blind or uncaring of them Joan continued to darkly cackle to herself as she pictured the faces of the Magus Association members who'd she love to put through hell. To tear their precious reputations and lives down and stand triumphantly over them proclaiming her victory.

"Don't worry, she's just day-dreaming." Ritsuka waved off.

"I've noticed this myself, the witch seems to enjoy detaching herself from reality." Anastasia stated using her powers to cool the tea enough it was now drinkable. "It appears her brain can only do so much work before needing a break."

The two humans and Demi-Servant withheld chuckles as Joan finally realized the conversation was still going on. Though she hadn't heard Anastasia's statement one look at the faces of her compatriots told her she'd been the butt of a joke.

Zeroing in on her Russian counterpart Joan seethed, "What did you say, ice princess?"

"Nothing that warrants repeating, witch." She calmly fired back.

Laughter burst from the lips of Ritsuka, Mash, and Kadoc as the two girls began another silent standoff with nothing but their eyes. In spite of the clashing waves of heat and cold they all felt right at home, maybe because in a way they were home.

Kadoc fell back in his seat, one hand going over his chest as he usually did. _This is…enough. This feeling of…yeah, even if I can't do anything worthwhile…this'll be enough for me._ "Even with me, it's gonna be a tough fight, Ritsuka. Like Joan said, I was second to last, and the other Crypters aren't going to be pushovers."

For the first time since the sit down began Ritsuka's face turned serious. "I know, A-team…the guys who I could train for a hundred years, and probably never match."

"Then we'll just have to work extra hard to compensate for that, won't we?"

Like a giant pendulum the attention of the group shifted to Kadoc. Everyone's eyes were wider than usual as they realized for the first time since he probably came to Chaldea as a prisoner he sounded…cheerful, ready. One by one smiles lit up the faces of the other four, Anastasia's smile perhaps being the brightest.

"Hey, stop smiling at me like that. It's not like I'm joining you all because I think we have a chance I just…don't have anything better to do." He tried to argue not liking the sudden warm mode that seemed centered on him. "Against the likes of Beryl, Pepe, Kirsch, and…Daybit, we probably have less than one-percent chance at coming out of this alive, let alone going up against the Alien God."

There was something…jarring about hearing two Servants laughing together, well, a Demi-Servant and reincarnated Servant. Mash's laugh was soft and jovial, Joan's was dark and somewhat twisted.

"Less than a one-percent chance?" Mash began.

"You have so much to learn about how things work around here, _newbie_." Joan cackled eying Kadoc with her ruthless golden orbs.

"We've faced tough odds before, that part never changes." Ritsuka sighed rubbing his neck before looking at him with a one-eyed smile. "I'm not gonna give some long speech about how we're all gonna make it through this, because there's a real chance one or all of us couldn't, but I'm don't plan on letting that stop me. The world may not be perfect…but I love enough I'm willing to push on and fight for it."

"As your shield and Servant, I'll be there protecting you." Mash echoed looking more upbeat and cheerful.

"And as your girlfriend and professional ass-preserver, I'll be damned if I let get yourself killed." Joan smiled reaching for his hand, not caring who saw. "You made me a promise, and you're keeping it."

"As your Servant, I am yours to command and all those who stand before you…Viy will deal with them accordingly." Anastasia stated holding up her doll, a thin smiling playing at her lips.

His mouth twitched a little before he answered; internally he debated rather or not he should have given one last show of resistance but seeing the smiling faces of his…comrades he decided against. "I guess…I'm back in Chaldea's employ."

"Kadoc-san, you…when we…you don't have to be with us all the time. I know you…" Mash struggled to find the words, recalling memories of the home she'd lost what felt like a lifetime ago. It was clear the pain was still there, and likely would remain for the rest of her life, but she wouldn't let it consume her. "I know how close you were with Pepe-san…and Beryl. You…really looked up to him so I can understand if-"

"I want to face them, all of them." He cut her off sounding resolute. "Even if we're enemies…I know they'd want me to be on the frontlines facing them. They were always pushing me to be more assertive, and…even though we've all changed, I don't think that aspect of them has. Besides," Grinning he face Ritsuka. "If he's out there fighting on the front, as his senior I should be there too, shouldn't I? Can't have you upstaging me _all_ the time, can I?"

Joan slapped her boyfriend across the back as he blushed realizing he now had a "senpai" of his own. "Mash! Go tell Da Vinci to fire up her new whatever-it-is! And tell her that if it blows up in our faces my dragons are going to be having fried Italian for dinner, with a side of cooked Englishman." That last part came out with an all-too familiar laugh.

"Da Vinci has a…new invention?" Anastasia questioned feeling something afoot. "What is it for?"

Grinning sheepishly Ritsuka looked between his former enemies. "It's…for you two. See-"

"You're worth shit to us as you are now, Kadoc." Joan cut in. The shock of her using Kadoc's name for the first time was short-lived as what he spoke next complete blew him, and Anastasia away. "You need a Servant, and lucky for us, you've got a perfect one right beside you, so congratulations you two, seems you're back together."

Utterly stunned the pair looked first at her then to Ritsuka who held up both his hands in defeat. "Holmes and Da Vinci have been working on a way to, well, hijack Servants. If it helps us against the Crypters they're willing to give it a shot. We were thinking if you…accepted our offer you and Anastasia could…"

"I was not consulted about this!" Anastasia snapped, though she didn't quite seem as angry she intended. "I will serve who I please! I answered your summon, so I serve you, Ritsuka, I…I…I…" For a brief second everyone present believed Viv would emerge from the shadows in an attempt to kill them all. The worry died with an almost exhausted sigh from the Russian royal. Getting up she joined Mash by the doorway. "Come along, Kadoc."

"H-Huh?!"

"Do you not remember? You said you would be my agent, then you will be my Master as well. You will never leave my side unless I permit it, and you will sample every mixture of tea I create, is that understood?"

Not one beat was missed with her statement leaving the ex-Crypter completely mortified. This…this wasn't the normal Anastasia he was used to. Not that he was in a hurry to complain about it though.

"Hah! Look at you, she's already got you whipped." Joan howled getting up and joining her fellow females. "I'm not even sure which one's going to be doing all the fighting."

While Ritsuka rose Kadoc remained in his seat, his mind still struggling to process the events of the last ten minutes. He barely announced Ritsuka's outstretched arm until the girls giggling grew too loud to ignore. The former enemies met eyes, not a shred of hostility between them, only a growing sense of kinship.

" _Hey! Just because you're below average doesn't mean you're out of luck! You've got a guy like me beside you, so don't hesitate to reach out, alright?"_ Beryl had once said to him when he felt his insecurities threatening to consume him.

" _A Caster, hm? Well, make sure to buildup trust, a good working relationship is key, sort of like the one all of us have. It's a great thing to be about to rely on someone, ya' know."_ Pepe had assured him when he told him what kind of Servant he wanted.

 _I think I understand a little more, you guys._ Kadoc thought taking Ritsuka's hand. He felt a few tears building up in his eyes and tried to force them away. Though he hadn't exactly made the greatest of impressions on them, he still wanted to maintain a certain image in front of his new friends. With Mash in the lead the two pairs walked through the hallways.

 _Even if guys like us are average,_ He thought watching walking side by side, eventually finding a familiar cold hand slipping into his.

 _We can still find ways to be useful to someone somewhere._ Ritsuka echoed clasping Joan's hand and her returning his light squeeze.

 _And for guys like us, that's enough to keep us going all the way to the end._

* * *

 **So that's the end, rather optimistic and open-ended since there's six more Lostbelts to go and who knows what they'll bring. Overall, I hope this story was able to leave positive taste in everyone's mouth as that was what I was going for.**

 **If anyone's interested I've got two Fate crossover stories planned for the summer so keep an eye out for them. Until then Happy Memorial Day!**


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